Canadian Classic winners Velocitor and Touch’n Ride headline Grade 3 Ontario Derby
At 10h49, on October 21, 2023 • By WOODBINE
OLG Canadian Triple Crown jewel winners Velocitor and Touch’n Ride are set to compete in the $150,000 Grade 3 Ontario Derby on Saturday at Woodbine.
The Grade 3 Ontario Derby for three-year-olds is run at a mile and an eighth on the Tapeta. Saturday’s contest has attracted a field of 10.
Kevin Attard trainee Velocitor will make his return to the track after winning the Prince of Wales Stakes, the second jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown at Fort Erie Race Track on September 12.
“Velocitor has been doing well since his Prince of Wales win,” said Attard to Woodbine Communications. “He’s had a few easy breezes since and has been feeling very good about himself.”
Owned by Al and Bill Ulwelling, Velocitor has a record of 4-1-1 from 10 starts. The son of Mor Spirit won the Coronation Futurity last November and ran fourth in The King’s Plate ahead of his Prince of Wales win.
Twin City, Cool Kiss, Stanley House and Twowaycrossing join Velocitor and Touch’n Ride as horses racing in Saturday’s Grade 3 Ontario Derby that competed in a leg of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown. All six horses raced in two of the three legs of the Triple Crown.
Layne Giliforte trainee Touch’n Ride won the mile and a half Breeders’ Stakes over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course on October 1. Twowaycrossing is the only other starter in Saturday’s Ontario Derby that ran in the Breeders’.
Attard is looking forward to sending Velocitor out in Saturday’s race against some familiar Canadian bred rivals plus new opponents, including the Mark Casse trained fillies Forever Dixie and Solo Album.
“The cut back to nine furlongs should be to his liking. It’s a very competitive field and should set up to be an exciting horse race.”
With seasonal temperatures expected Saturday, Velocitor is a proven winner in cooler temperatures after winning last year’s Coronation Futurity.
