Reigning Canadian turf champion Rahy's Attorney found Woodbine's soft turf course to his liking in the $313,927 Nijinsky Stakes (Can-IIT) (VIDEO) July 26, holding off his rivals after opening a five-length lead in the lane for his first victory at the 1 1/4-mile distance.
The favored 5-year-old son of Crown Attorney made it consecutive grade II victories on the Woodbine lawn for trainer Ian Black after stretching out to nine furlongs in winning the King Edward Handicap (Can-IIT) in his last start. Rahy's Attorney had already proven his fondness for soft going when he beat a stellar field on a yielding course in the Woodbine Mile (Can-I) last September.
"I'm in awe of the horse," said Black. "He's wonderful. He loves to race. He loves to win. He has so much desire and a great mind. I'm honored to be around him."
With regular pilot Slade Callaghan aboard, Rahy's Attorney tracked pacesetter French Beret in a two-horse duel for more than a half-mile before wresting the lead on the inside early on the turn and drawing off heading into the stretch.
French Beret led by four lengths on the backstretch after carving reserved fractions of :26.26 and :51.74. The six-furlong split was 1:18.06 as Rahy's Attorney assumed a half-length lead.
After a brief tussle on the final turn with French Beret, Rahy's Attorney led by five lengths mid-stretch before Marchfield cut into the commanding margin in the final furlong. Rahy's Attorney, the 9-5 choice, held on to win in a sustained drive by 1 3/4 lengths. The final time was 2:08.42.
He carried co-high weight of 123 pounds and paid $5.60, $3.20 and $2.40. Marchfield returned $4.10 and $3.10. The Great Britain-bred Champs Elysees, who rallied late under Alan Garcia, was $2.90 to show.
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