story by Phil McSween for Woodbine
photos by Michael Burns
This story originally appeared here.
Ontario Bred Katie’s Grace (above) produced a polished off the pace performance to win the $250,000 Bison City Stakes on Saturday (Aug. 8) at Woodbine.
Ridden by Ryan Munger, the bay daughter of Independence Hall broke cleanly from post position 2 and settled in last early, in the mile and one-sixteenth main track classic for 3-year-old fillies foaled in Canada.
Bossy Candy led the field of five comfortably through an opening quarter mile in :24.27. And continued to show the way through a half mile in :48.71 and six-furlong clip of 1:13.18.
Around the far turn, post-time favourite Piper’s Gift launched a wide move, as Munger roused Katie’s Grace to commence her rally from the back of the tightly grouped quintet.
Inside the quarter-pole, Katie’s Grace entered the fray in earnest, with Munger tipping her out in the three-path, and the Catherine Day Phillips trainee, now full of run, zoomed past Bossy Candy and a rail rallying Bold Time, going on to score by an emphatic two lengths in a final time of 1:44.14.
Katie’s Grace ran a superb second two races back, at 35-1 in the Grade 3 Selene Stakes, beaten only 1 3/4 lengths by burgeoning division superstar Luster. Day Phillips added blinkers for the Selene and much was expected next out in the Woodbine Oaks. However, Katie’s Grace was off a beat slow and never factored, finishing fourth in the field of seven.
“Last time in the Oaks was a little bit of a head scratcher,” said Munger.
“There were a few bumps. It wasn’t a smooth trip in that sort of race. Catherine did a great job; we just shrugged off the Oaks. She came here, she produced the goods and it was a top win from her.”
“I thought out of the five horses, I’ll have all four in front of me and I could kind of pick and choose my way through,” noted the amiable South African rider.
“Once I saw the favourite start to move around, I said there’s my target. Once I gave her a clear run, she got on the bridle and she won a fantastic race today.”
Katie’s Grace (Independence Hall – Bella Joy, by Kitten’s Joy) showed talent early, winning a seven-furlong maiden special weight race in her lifetime bow.
With Munger taking over the riding duties, she capped her 2-year-old campaign with a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Mazarine Stakes, followed by a second-place finish in the Princess Elizabeth Stakes, but was winless in four starts in 2026 prior to the Bison City breakthrough.
“I thought going into the Oaks that she was in great order and I was really excited about the race,” said Day Phillips. “She got bumped going into the first turn and it just seemed to knock her off her game a little. She never really got on the bridle until she turned for home and was sulking a little bit.”
Day Phillips, who won the 2022 Bison City with Sister Seagull, was happy to see Katie’s Grace add a Canadian classic to her resume.
“I think she really deserved it and I think we’ll get the respect she really deserves off this win, she ran a super race, we’re so proud of her.”
Bred in Ontario by Northern Dawn Stables Inc & Sandy Giffen, and owned by Chivalry Thoroughbred Racing and Vester, Hubert, Katie’s Grace improved to 2-2-1 from 8 lifetime starts.
The winner was listed at 4-1 on the morning line, went postward at odds of 3.90 to 1 and returned $9.80 for the win. Bold Time was second, pacesetter Bossy Candy was 3rd and favourite Piper’s Gift was fourth. Lake Louise was a stewards scratch.
With impressive Woodbine Oaks winner Luster skipping the Bison City to contest the 167th King’s Plate on Saturday August 15th, the Triple Tiara has again gone uncaptured. Sealy Hill was the last filly to sweep the series (consisting of the Woodbine Oaks, Bison City Stakes and Wonder Where Stakes) in 2007.
English Actor takes leading man honours in Niagara
English Actor (Fraser Aebly) winning the Niagara Stakes on Aug. 8 at Woodbine.
English Actor authored a front-running tour de force performance to win Saturday’s (Aug. 8) $125,000 Niagara Stakes at Woodbine.
Piloted by Fraser Aebly, the 5-year-old chestnut son of English Channel broke sharply from post position 4 and led the field of 11 around all three turns in the 11-furlong inner turf marathon for 3-year-olds and up.
Teaming with English Actor for the second consecutive race and fourth time in 13 career starts, Aebly led the field through a half mile in :48.83, six-furlongs in 1:14.57 and a mile in 1:38.52.
Inside the quarter-pole, the Rachel Halden trained English Actor was targeted by fellow Halden stablemates Side Street and Roscar, but Aebly and his gelding had plenty in reserve, kicking on to score in a driving finish by a length and three-quarters. The final running time in the mile and three-eighths route, on a course listed ‘firm,’ was 2:14.47.
Aebly was aboard for English Actor’s first lifetime start in October 2024, finishing second in a mile and one-sixteenth main track maiden race, for former conditioner Layne Giliforte. Last time out, Aebly guided the favoured Chiefswoods Stables Limited homebred to a disappointing third place finish, over the Woodbine inner turf, also at 11 panels.
“Me and Rob (Chiefswoods general manager Rob Landry) talked and, once we got [English Actor] out there, we thought he’d settle and come back to me. He made kind of one run when they kind of come at him and he seemed to do that today very well,” said Aebly.
English Actor achieved a career best 90 Beyer Speed Figure when finishing seventh in the 2025 Grade 1 Canadian International, his first and still only graded stakes try.
“We ran him in the International, maybe we were a little bit too aggressive with him early. He didn’t really get to run his race,” said Landry.
Landry, himself a Canadian Hall of Fame jockey, was pleased with English Actor’s triumph and the performance of the other Chiefswood horses, Side Street who ran second and Roscar who was in range at the top of the lane but checked in seventh.
“He’s an English Channel and they’re gallopers and they run well. We expected them all to run well today and they did.”
English Actor broke his maiden at Woodbine in his 3-year-old debut, the first race under the tutelage of Halden, winning a mile and one-sixteenth race, that came off the grass, by a length-and-a-half under Sahin Civaci.
In his sixth career start, English Actor beat winners, going wire to wire in a mile and one-sixteenth inner turf race, again under Civaci.
“He’s pretty versatile,” said Landry.
“Obviously Rachel’s done a tremendous job with him and the other horses.”
Going fourth off the layoff, English Actor improved to 3-4-2 from 13 lifetime starts.
Listed at 15-1 morning line, English Actor went off at 8.30 to 1 and returned a tidy $18.60, while earning his first career stakes win.
Stablemate Side Street was second, Swift Delivery was third and Sultana, the lone female in the race rallied late from eighth to finish fourth. Race favourite Truly Quality was sixth. Watsonville Red was scratched.
