Favourites Prevail in Simcoe, Windor Surprises in Champlain

MILTON, September 6, 2025— Odds-on chalks Ayeaye Captain Deo and Crack Shot found the winner’s circle in their respective divisions of the Grade 3 $159,124 Simcoe Stakes for 3-year-old pacing males on Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park while the single division of the Grade 3 $159,745 Champlain Stakes for 2-year-old pacing males went the way of a 29-1 upset by Windor.

Ayeaye Captain Deo lifted off cover in the stretch and held firm to post a 1:50.1 win in the second Simcoe division.

Fifth And Five rushed outside of Joel And The Jets for the top into a :26.1 first quarter as D A Love Boat pressed forward outside. D A Love Boat crossed to the lead moving for the backstretch, and Fifth And Five promptly pulled outside to retake command well before a :55 half.

As action settled towards the front, Boxer Seelster tipped first up out of fourth with Ayeaye Captain Deo in tow rounding the final turn. Boxer Seelster increased pressure on Fifth And Five coming off three-quarters in 1:22.4 and grabbed a narrow lead in the lane as driver James MacDonald kicked off cover with Ayeaye Captain Deo. Within a few strides, Ayeaye Captain Deo built momentum and towered by Boxer Seelster to hit the front in mid-stretch while Joel And The Jets emerged out of a shuffle with a late rush to the center of the track. Ayeaye Captain Deo withstood the late sweep from Joel And The Jets to win by a half length with Boxer Seelster back in third and Fifth And Five settling for fourth.

“We went to Kentucky and just the shipping and stuff to Oak Grove took its toll on him; he’s not used to a long ship,” trainer Gerry Merner said after the race. “I think he got a little sick. He had a little trouble with his blood [and] he lost a bunch of weight. I decided to take the horse home – I went down and raced him myself in the last start and he was real ordinary. So I decided to take him home and give him a month to try and freshen him up and get him in the right direction. I was very happy with the way he raced last week against the older horses and tonight I was glad he came back and raced good again.

“He’s still not a hundred percent – he’s at about 85 percent right now,” Merner also said. “I’ve never seen him tired. I’ve seen him where he’ll wait on horses, but he doesn’t usually get tired.

Gino Toscani owns Ayeaye Captain Deo, a colt by Captaintreacherous who has now won five races from 11 starts this season and seven races from 19 starts in his career with $286,758 in earnings in his coffers. Potentially bound for the Little Brown Jug on Sept. 18 in Delaware, Ohio, Ayeaye Captain Deo paid $3.60 to win.

Crack Shot cruised as the 1-9 choice to a 1:51 win in the first division of the Simcoe Stakes.

Doug McNair gathered speed from post 7 with Crack Shot and slid past Sterling Choice to take the lead into a :26.2 first quarter. Crack Shot coasted up the backside with no challengers incoming and snagged a breather to a :55.4 half, at which point Welcometotheshow began an uncovered bid out of fifth and pushed forward through the turn to reach the leader’s wheel passing three-quarters in 1:24. McNair gave the chalk his cue to sprint spinning for home and easily peeled away from the competition while drifting off the pylons to register a 4-1/2-length win over pocket-chaser Sterling Choice in second. Control Rocks sat a ground-saving trip for third and Set Shot rallied from second over for fourth.

Gregg McNair trains Crack Shot, a 3-year-old colt by Bettors Delight, and co-owns the colt alongside Dale Hunter, Frank Brundle and George Kerr. The colt won his fourth race from 12 starts this season and his ninth race from 20 starts in his career, good for $514,160 in earnings. He paid $2.30 to win.

Windor scored an upset in the lone dash of the Grade 3 $159,745 Champlain Stakes as the third longest shot on the board when persevering through a first-over trip to clinch the win in a 1:51.2 mile.

Odds-on favorite Tilthecowscomehome swooped for the lead out of post 6 as Sweet Lovin Lou stutter-stepped forward on the outside to take the lead past a :27.1 first quarter. Tilthecowscomehome circled back to the lead in the backstretch and took the field by the half in :55.4, where Doug McNair readied Windor for a first-up blitz in the far turn.

McNair revved Windor forward and steadily gained ground on the march to three-quarters in 1:24.2. Tilthecowscomehome quickened in the lane but Windor kept clawing to the outside and successfully powered by for a neck win in the closing strides. Sweet Lovin Lou gave pursuit from a locked pocket in third and Redland Rocket Man rallied for fourth.

“He’s been top three with those two all year and never had any luck,” trainer Mike Vanderkemp said after the race. “He’s been first up, he got his wheel hooked one night and he had a tough first quarter last week and still had go on the end. I was happy we got a clear run at them. I wasn’t worried about the first over; he doesn’t really get tired.”

A homebred colt by Bulldog Hanover for owner Dianna Secord, Windor collected his second win from eight starts and has now earned $141,931. The lone starter in the race ineligible to the Metro Pace, Windor returned $61.30 to win.

By Ray Cotolo, for Woodbine Communications