story by Phil McSween for Woodbine

photos by Michael Burns

This story originally appeared here.

Fire and Wine went wire to wire in cagey fashion to win Sunday’s (Sept. 27) $400,000 Breeders’ Stakes, the Canadian Triple Crown curtain closer, at Woodbine. ​ ​

The compact field of six broke smoothly as the gates opened in the one and one half miles turf route for 3-year-olds, foaled in Canada. And as anticipated, Fire and Wine secured the lead early under jockey Jalon Samuel. ​ ​ ​

Breaking from post position 3, Samuel cleared the field and angled to the rail through an opening quarter mile in :25.15. Imyourmedicineman, out widest, tracked closely in second. Several lengths off the top pair, Keepmypowderdry led the second flight, with Buium to his outside. ​ Bond Market saved ground in fifth, with the lone filly and race favourite Katie’s Grace trailing the field early.

Fire and Wine with Imyourmedicineman closest in pursuit, opened a large lead on the rest of the field as the leader cruised by the half mile marker in :50.48. ​ ​

Approaching the midway point in the 12-furlong Canadian classic, Katie’s Grace zoomed into third position, but well in arrears of Fire and Wine who continued to freewheel up front through six furlongs in 1:15.10, over an E.P. Taylor Turf Course listed as ‘firm.’ ​ ​

Going blinkers off, Fire and Wine continued to lead through a mile time in 1:40.73, but the lead was shrinking rapidly. Imyourmedicineman remained in second with Katie’s Grace a half-length back on the rail in third and Buium in fourth just outside of her. ​ ​ ​

Still on top through ten furlongs in 2:05.90, Fire and Wire was under siege, but Samuel went to work, and the bay colt kicked away again, going on to score by four lengths in a final time of 2:30.57.

Jalon Samuel after winning the Breeders’ Stakes at Woodbine.

​ “To win this race, this is the biggest win of my career,” said Samuel who engineered a front running masterpiece and celebrated with an emphatic fist pump as he crossed the wire. ​ ​

“This is now my home, Canada, other than Barbados. So I’m gonna be patient and take my time and build what I need to build here.” said the 7-time Barbados Gold Cup winning rider. ​

Under trainer Zeljko Krcmar’s tutelage, Fire and Wine, broke his maiden in career start number six, winning a local main track, route race by 13 lengths under Slade Jones. The pair doubled up next out wiring a field of nine by 5 lengths in the Coronation Futurity. Those two efforts put the Paul Ryder owned colt on the King’s Plate radar. ​ ​

In 2026, and with Samuel up for the first time, Fire and Wire finished third in the King’s Plate and dueled up front in the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie, before finishing 5th. ​ ​ ​ ​

“You know that horse can run, and luckily if somebody hooks him up, he is a chicken, he’ll back up, but if he’s at the front, he’s brave as they make them. He never stops,” said the always jovial Krcmar. ​ ​

“He was by himself. I had a lot of faith in him that he’s by himself.”

Bred in Ontario by James & Janeane Everatt, Arika Meeuse & Robert Marzilli, Fire and Wine (Lexitonian -Double Latte, by The Factor) improved to 3-0-4 from 13 lifetime starts, while giving his owner a thrill to remember.

Zeljko Krcmar, Paul Ryder, and Jalon Samuel in the winners’ circle for the Breeders’ Stakes.

​ “This is really something,” said Ryder. ​

“I wasn’t sure, when they came to him, he’d still had some left for the stretch, and a mile and a half on the lead. That’s pretty good. I think it’s really good.”

Fire and Wine opened at 10-1 on the morning line, went postward at 11-1 and returned $24.70 for the Breeders’ score. Bond Market rallied to finish second. ​Buium was third. ​And Imyourmedicineman rounded out the superfecta. Favoured Katie’s Grace was fifth.

Fire and Wine and connections head to the winners’ circle.

Following a Stewards Inquiry and objection by rider Fraser Aebly (Imyourmedicineman) against runner up Bond Market (Xarel Forde), no change was made and the original result was declared official.

The Canadian horse racing Triple Crown was last won in 2003 by Wando. The 2026 series opened on Aug. 15 with Woodbine Oaks winner Luster, winning the King’s Plate in dominating fashion on Woodbine’s all-weather main track. The connections of Luster opted to bypass the second jewel at Fort Erie, where Military Time added a classic to his resume, capturing the Prince of Wales Stakes on dirt on Sept. 7. And Fire and Wine joined the sophomore classic winning club, winning Sunday’s Breeders’ Stakes.