Stanley House tests turf in Niagara Stakes
At 0h51, on September 7, 2024 • By Woodbine Communications
Stanley House, a son of Army Mule-Stormy’s Song, will try the turf for the first time in Saturday’s $100,000 Niagara Stakes Presented by the Greenwood Stakes at Woodbine airing on Sportsnet ONE at 5 p.m. E.T.
Trained by Michael De Paulo for John and Diana Russell, the 4-year-old will take on 11 rivals in the Niagara, for 3-year-olds and up, at 1 ¼ miles over the E.P. Taylor turf.
“Stan is the man,” said De Paulo, who is 10 wins away from 1,000 for his career. “I am not overly thrilled with the prospect of running him on a deep turf course if we have rain, but he worked well on it (four furlongs in :48.00 on the turf training track) on August 16. He’s always been a good work horse, so it’s hard to say.”
Bred in Ontario by Elevage II, LLC and St. Elias Racing Stables, LLC, Stanley House heads into the Niagara off a pair of strong showings in graded affairs, namely, the Grade 3 Dominion Day on June 29 and the Grade 2 Seagram Cup on July 27.
“He just fights on,” said De Paulo. “He’s a horse we liked from day one. He’s the type of horse you love to have in your barn.”
The multiple graded stakes winning conditioner thought so much of the horse that he originally planned to buy Stanley House for himself and his son, groom Joseph De Paulo.
“When we went to the [2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall] sale, I thought we could buy him ourselves for around $40,000 to $50,000, but when the price started going up, I thought I should get on the phone,” he said of the eventual $120,000 purchase. “But it all worked out.”
Sporting a record of 3-5-1 from 13 lifetime starts, along with $300,547 in purse earnings, Stanley House was second in his debut in November 2022 and then produced another runner-up result one month later.
He broke his maiden at Gulfstream – in his fourth start – on March 25, 2023.
After a win that June at Woodbine, Stanley House finished sixth in the Plate Trial.
A month later he went postward in the 164th edition of The King’s Plate and finished third in the 1 ¼-mile race.
“The distance won’t be an issue, considering he raced that in the Plate. He came running that day and that is what he always does. He is a very good finisher.
“He’s shown up most of the time. He’s still a colt, so he’s filled out a bit this year. He’s a little bigger, stronger and more mature this year. All his races have been good.”
The Niagara is race nine on Saturday’s 10-race card. First post time is 1:05 p.m.
