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First-timer Shamrock Rose an appropriate winner of Ontario Debutante

September 9, 2017

​TORONTO, September 9 — Shamrock Rose, making her first lifetime start, rallied smartly on the outside to register a mild upset in Saturday’s $100,000 Ontario Debutante at Woodbine Racetrack.

The six-furlong Debutante Stakes attracted a field of five two-year-old fillies, with Shamrock Rose being one of two trained by Mark Casse.

Her uncoupled stablemate, Sly Roxy, finished fourth as the 4-5 choice.

Shamrock Rose did not get away that alertly from her No. 2 post but rushed up the rail into third place as Sly Roxy showed the way by a length through an opening quarter of :23.15 after assuming the early lead from a fast-breaking Honey Graeme.

“She broke a little slow, but that was a good thing for her,” said winning rider Eurico Rosa da Silva. “I had an opportunity to take her outside. She sat off the speed."

Shamrock Rose had dropped back to fourth around the turn as Sly Roxy maintained a half-length lead through a half-mile in :46.38.

As Honey Graeme moved up to engage Sly Roxy, with Glamanation moving three-wide, Da Silva angled Shamrock Rose to the outside and she swung out for the stretch drive with dead aim on the leaders.

“I knew I had a lot of horse underneath me,” said Da Silva. “When I asked her, she responded very well.”

Shamrock Rose’s winning margin was one and a quarter lengths as she stopped the teletimer in 1:10.97. Glamnation, sent off at 6-1, outfinished Honey Graeme for second money.

Honey Graeme, the second choice at 2-1, had switched to the inside after Sly Roxy came off the rail turning for home. She ended a half-length behind the runner-up and 3-1/2 lengths before the favourite.

Presage, who also had been entered in Saturday’s Arlington-Washington Futurity, trailed throughout.

Bred in Pennsylvania, Shamrock Rose was a $120,000 purchase at the Ocala two-year-old in training sale this April and banked $60,000 for the Conrad Farm of Manfred and Penny Conrad.

Shamrock Rose returned $13.20 and $6.40 and keyed a 2-4 exacta with Glamnation ($5.20) worth $60.50. Honey Graeme completed the 2-4-5 trifecta, which returned $89.40 for $1.
There was no show wagering.

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