The six $125,000 added-money events are featured annually on Labour Day weekend in advance of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society's Canadian-bred horse auction.
The 2008 sale will be held on Tuesday, September 2 (Select Session, 3 p.m.) and Saturday, September 6 (Preferred Session, 3 p.m.) at the Woodbine Sales Pavilion at the south end of the Woodbine property.
He started the win parade with Mean Green in the seven furlong Simcoe Stakes, piloted Arden Belle to her second consecutive Algoma Stakes score and then teamed with Society's Chairman to take the turf Halton Stakes.
Jones notched his fourth triumph of the day in the ninth race, partnering Bahia Girl to victory in a 1 1/16 mile turf event.
A recap of the six events follows.
KENORA STAKES
Woodford Racing's Legal Move rallied from off the pace to win the $125,000 Kenora Stakes, Monday at Woodbine.
The six furlong event kicked off a six-event, $750,000 afternoon at the Toronto oval, featuring colts, geldings, fillies and mares that paraded through the annual Canadian-bred yearling sale.
The 2008 edition of the Select programme is slated for Tuesday.
Legal Move settled along the inside in fourth, advanced outside on the turn and finished strongly to defeat Drunken Love. Hosta Rica was third.
Under Patrick Husbands, the son of Bold Executive zipped six furlongs in 1:09.49.
"I love Bold Executives," said trainer Mark Casse of the bay colt, who was consigned by Gardiner Farms. "I'm a pedigree kind of guy. The mare (Charity Country) had been successful with a couple of sires that were a little lesser than Bold Executive. He was a neat, little horse. He's been a dream."
Casse said Legal Move may not race out of his barn for too many more starts.
"I'm going to miss him. He's in the sale in November," said Casse, explaining that Woodford sells their racehorses at the end of their four-year-old campaign. "He may run one more time, but I haven't really looked beyond this."
Legal Move returned $3.90, $2.30, $2.10, combining with Drunken Love ($3.10, $2.30) for an $8 exactor. Hosta Rica returned $2.50 to show.
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ELGIN STAKES
Head Chopper tallied his second consecutive win in taking Monday's Elgin Stakes at Woodbine.
The Steve Owens trainee rallied strongly and was full of run through the stretch in the 1 1/16-mile contest over the Polytrack. The five-year-old son of Mutakddim was under the wire a 1 ¼-length winner in 1:43.59.
Mutuel favourite Dancer's Bajan was second. Brigadier Rodney, who took the lead midway on the backstretch, finished third.
Owned by Camilla Farms, Buckaroo Stable and 1316096 Inc., Head Chopper was fifth of six runners through fractions of :24.45, :48.58 and 1:12.10. The chestnut, who was ridden by Emma-Jayne Wilson, finished third in last year's Elgin.
"We got him to settle a little in behind the pace, just like we were working him in the morning," said Wilson, who was celebrating her 27th birthday. "He gave me a middle move kick around the turn. I couldn't believe it. I was catching Dancer's Bajan pretty quick. I was pretty confident with how he was traveling. I knew he would be a pretty tough horse to catch."
Head Chopper came into the race off a rallying half-length score at 1 1/16 miles on July 27.
Head Chopper returned $11, $3, $2.80, combining with Dancer's Bajan ($2.20, $2.10) for a $19.80 exactor. Brigadier Rodney ($3.50) completed a $73.30 triactor.ace out of his barn for too many more starts.
"I'm going to miss him. He's in the sale in November," said Casse, explaining that Woodford sells their racehorses at the end of their four-year-old campaign. "He may run one more time, but I haven't really looked beyond this."
Legal Move returned $3.90, $2.30, $2.10, combining with Drunken Love ($3.10, $2.30) for an $8 exactor. Hosta Rica returned $2.50 to show.
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MUSKOKA STAKES
Kingview Farms' Van Lear Rose, ridden by Chantal Sutherland, pressed the pace throughout, then had enough left to fend off favoured Retraceable in the seven furlong Muskoka Stakes for two-year-old fillies, one of six Canadian Yearling Sales Stakes on Monday's Labour Day card at Woodbine.
Trained by Catherine Day Phillips, Van Lear Rose got the seven furlongs in 1:23.68, as the Ontario-bred dark bay daughter of Stroll-Devaluation visited the winner's circle for the first time in four career outings. However, she hadn't been worse than fourth in those three previous trips and had even been elevated to second in the Shady Well Stakes on July 13.
Van Lear Rose battled with Deeveetee and Wild Indiscretion through early fractions of :22.97 and :46.26, before pulling clear in early stretch. However, first, Astrotime and then, Retraceable, who had to check several times on the backside, took dead aim on the leader down the lane but couldn't quite get there, as Van Lear Rose proved a game three-quarter length winner.
"He (Phillips' brother Richard Day, the breeder) had four horses in the sale," explained Day Phillips. "He has the mind of, 'If they sell, they sell and if they don't, we're happy to have them.' The two horses I liked best came back (didn't make their reserve or had no bids) and this was one of them. I don't think she even had a bid, so it was great for us. We're happy to have her in our barn and she's a lovely filly."
Van Lear Rose, who earned $75,000 for the victory, was sent postward the 3-1 second choice and paid $8.10, $4 and $2.60, combining with Retraceable ($3, $2.30) for a $27 (4-6) exactor. A 4-6-7 (Astrotime, $3.50) triactor returned $74.30.
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SIMCOE STAKES
Norseman Racing Stable charge Mean Green edged by Shut It Down inside the final furlong to capture Monday's $125,000 Simcoe Stakes, Monday at Woodbine.
The two-year-old colt joined Legal Move as the second horse bred by Gardiner Farms to capture a stakes event on the Toronto oval's Yearling Sales Stakes programme, which is carded annually.
Mean Green, who won by 1 ¾ lengths, traveled seven furlongs in 1:23.42. Silver Rocket finished third.
For the Sid Attard trainee, the Simcoe was the chestnut colt's first career stakes tally, increasing his earnings to $129,900.
"He's turned out to be a nice colt. Sid (Attard) has done a nice job training him," said Howie Walton of Norseman Racing Stable.
Mean Green returned $16.90, $7.10 and $5.20, combining with Shut It Down ($4.40, $2.90) for an $89 exactor. Silver Rocket ($3.90) rounded out a triactor worth $290.20. Fourth-place finisher Wildcat Fashion completed a $1 superfecta worth $557.60.
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ALGOMA STAKES
Arden Belle captured her second consecutive Algoma Stakes, Monday at Woodbine.
The Jono Jones-ridden daughter of Dance Brightly won the 1 1/16-mile contest by a neck, defeating a pair of game rivals in a time of 1:44.21. You Will Love Me was second and a rail-skimming Emma Ain't Bluffin was third.
The Robert Gerl trainee was up close and on the inside throughout the race, as You Will Love Me and Wild Lucy Dancer took the field through early fractions of :23.81 and :48.38. Down the lane, Arden Belle, who left the gate as the 2-1 favourite, battled every inch to secure the victory.
The Salt and Pepper Stable charge won her first race since last year's Algoma, a streak of five races.
Arden Belle came into Monday's race off a fourth-place finish in the Belle Mahone Stakes, a 1 1/16 mile race contested on the Toronto oval's Polytrack.
"It certainly is (a pleasing win)," said co-owner Robert Ross. "She's been through a lot. She had some problems with her feet at the end of the year. (Trainer) Robert (Gerl) brought her back and did a fantastic job training her. I can't give him enough credit."
The Algoma is for fillies and mares that passed through a Canadian-bred Yearling Sale at Woodbine.
"I'll be there with Robert (at the CTHS sale on Tuesday)," offered Ross. "We've already looked at a lot of horses. This is the best place to buy them. I've bought them in Florida. I've bought them in Kentucky and this is the best place to buy horses."
Arden Belle returned $6.30, $3.20 and $2.70, combining with You Will Love Me ($5.20, $3.70) for a $30.60 exactor. Emma Ain't Bluffin paid $3.50 to show. The triactor returned $81.90.
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HALTON STAKES
Jockey Jono Jones capped a very profitable Labour Day Monday at Woodbine, winning his third stakes race of the afternoon aboard favoured Society's Chairman in the $125,000 Halton.
Prior to the Halton, the last of six Yearling Sales Stakes on the card, Jones had scored in the Simcoe aboard two-year-old Mean Green, then the Algoma on favoured five-year-old mare Arden Belle. Jones wound up winning four races on the day.
Perfectly placed in third throughout the one mile turf contest, Society's Chairman assumed command from pacesetter Stonetown in mid-stretch, only to be challenged late by My Imperial Dancer on the rail. Jones steered his horse over to the challenger, as the pair then swept to the wire in tandem. The margin turned out to be a nose, with River Heights a further two and one-half lengths back in third, while timed in 1:33.31.
Trained by Hall of Famer Roger Attfield, Society's Chairman, the 2-1 choice co-owned by Charles Fipke and George Waud, was coming off a poor effort on the Polytrack August 9, but rebounded in style today on his preferred surface.
Earlier in the year, the Not Impossible five-year-old had finished second to Rahy's Attorney here in the Connaught in May after only just beginning his racing career this season with two consecutive wins on the lawn, a $75,000 maiden claimer at Gulfstream Park in March, followed by an allowance win at Keeneland in April.
"He entrapped his palate," explained Attfield, about Society's Chairman's last effort. "I've been having a number of horses do that this year. That's why I hesitate to say it * it seems like old hat. He wasn't breathing properly. That stops them fairly quickly.
"If you don't do surgery, it's a question of getting the horse to relax in the race. Sometimes, they get themselves into a jam like Not Bourbon did in the Prince of Wales where he was rank in the pocket.
"I was pleased with him today. We thought this horse (Society's Chairman) was so good at Keeneland in the Spring that our main aim was the (Woodbine) Mile this (coming) weekend. Off that last race, I couldn't do that. This should have been a fairly nice spot for him and we managed to get it won. We'll go from there and see how he trains on."
Society's Chairman earned $75,000 to push his career bankroll to almost $200,000. He paid $6.60, $4.40 and $3.10, combining with My Imperial Dancer ($8.20, $5.40) for a $40.20 (6-1) exactor. A 6-1-5 (River Heights, $3.70) triactor returned $180.40.
