Making her stakes debut in the Oct. 12 Ontario Fashion Stakes (G3), A Game stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the ballpark in a 48-1 upset for trainer Josie Carroll.
Racing in the colors of Mark Dodson, A Game had shown her affinity for Woodbine with three wins over the Ontario oval. However, those victories were against allowance and maiden foes and never of the quality she faced in Saturday’s CA$154,090 contest for fillies and mares.
With two horses beaten after the first quarter, jockey Fraser Aebly gave a masterful ride on A Game as the field swung into the far turn. Threading her way between horses, A Game surged through every hole Aebly pointed her through with vigor, closing stoutly in the final furlong for a head score.
A Game stopped the timer in 1:09.49 for the six furlongs over the Woodbine synthetic. Love to Shop and Beauty of the Sea completed the trifecta while favored Ticker Tape Home was fourth.
“This filly has never been in better shape,” said Carroll of A Game. “And if you look at her past performances, she just shows up every time. It certainly seemed like the time to allow her to try stakes company. I think she’s at her best right now. She’s just peaking.”
Those who backed the 5-year-old daughter of Distorted Humor were rewarded with a whopping $99.20 payoff.
