TORONTO, October 4, 2026 – Canada ran to his pedigree and broke his maiden in his stakes’ debut, to win the $300,000 Cup & Saucer Stakes Sunday at Woodbine.
Making just his second career start, the Mark Casse-trained colt broke smoothly from post position 5 as the field of ten exited the gate in the prestigious one and one-sixteenth miles turf test for two-year-olds foaled in Canada.
Ridden by Emma-Jayne Wilson for the second consecutive race, Canada settled in third, behind Mo Cookie and recent Simcoe Stakes winner King’s Counsel, through an opening two-furlong fraction of :23.73.
Ghostface was fourth, Barger 5th; the other filly Glorious Gem was 6th. They were followed by Road to Glory, race favourite Bunyan, Whatta Move and Sunny’s Rainbow trailed early over an E.P. Taylor Turf Course listed ‘Good.’
Mo Cookie, one of two fillies in the race and a recent 8th place finisher in the Grade 1-Natalma Stakes, remained keen on the point, leading through a half mile in :48.06. Wilson and Canada advanced into second place with clear intent on getting first run on the leader.
Into the lane, Mo Cookie was clinging to a short lead through six furlongs in 1:12.43, with Wilson now cutting Canada loose on the outside for the drive. Three-sixteenths from home, Canada assumed command, well ahead of the quickening brigade of closers and despite skipping to his wrong lead inside the final furlong, Canada held sway to win by 1 3/4 lengths in the final time of 1:43.96. Mo Cookie held for second, Bunyan rallied to be third and Glorious Gem was fourth.
Canada, a $400,000 purchase by D.J. Stable at the 2026 Ocala Breeders’ June Sale of Two-Year-Olds, opened his career at Woodbine on September 6th, rallying to be second in a six and half furlong main track sprint, after breaking awkwardly. Adding Lasix for career start two, Canada had a pair of interim workouts, including a four-furlong (:48.20) breeze over the Woodbine training turf on September 20th and with a start under his belt, the youngster seemed primed for a big effort.
“He figured out what the game was,” said Wilson, who is now only a handful of wins away from career win 2000.
“The difference between him in the morning before his first race and him in the morning after his first race was significantly more focused,”
“Not that he was unfocused before, but he just knew what all this energy was for and he had his game face on in the morning when I breezed him. And I knew when we came into the paddock today, he was going to be tough to beat.”
By Medaglia d’Oro, out of 2015 Wonder Where Stakes winning dam Season Ticket, Canada was trying turf and routing for the first time, an examination not lost on Wilson.
“Two-year-olds going first time a mile and a sixteenth is always interesting,” she said. “You’re at the head of the backstretch and you’re seeing the entire, what.. five-eighths of a mile straight, so they’re usually a little keener.”
“When my guy got away from there, he settled into a nice rhythm, and I was happy with the forward position because he was traveling so comfortably.”
Bred in Ontario by Godolphin & John Ropes, the dark bay/brown colt (Medaglia d’Oro – Season Ticket, by Lemon Drop Kid) improved to 1-1-0 from 2 lifetime starts and announced himself as an early candidate for the 2027 King’s Plate.
The D.J. Stable LLC owned Canada opened at 8-1 on the morning line, went off at those same odds and returned $18.10 for the win.
Phil McSween, for Woodbine
Source: woodbine.com
