TORONTO, August 4, 2026 – With her win on August 1, Spa Prospector, with jockey Fraser Aebly aboard, is the second horse to break the 7 ½-furlong track record on Woodbine Racetrack’s inner turf this year. The 3-year-old filly by Authentic secured her first win at Woodbine on Saturday during her second start at the track in a $125,000 Allowance Optional Claiming race in dramatic fashion, setting a new track record in the process. Spa Prospector, a $450,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland Association September Yearling Sale, trained by Woodbine’s leading trainer Mark Casse, held on for a victory just shy of a length ahead of favoured barnmate Americathegreat, a $1.2 million purchase at the same sale, in a time of 1:27.68. David Adams, assistant trainer to Mark Casse, expected a big effort from the Kentucky-bred. “Spa Prospector is always going to go to the lead, that’s the kind of horse she is,” said Adams. “It’s not surprising that it played out the way it did.” Aebly, Woodbine’s current leading jockey in purse earnings, also had a specific plan going into this race. “I rode her last start and she was pretty eager with me last time and kind of got a little away from me, so I was hoping to get her away from the gate pretty cleanly and hopefully she’d get a length or two in front and kind of settle and come back to me,” said Aebly. “And she seemed to do that, she seemed to settle a lot better. I think they cut back the blinkers, which helped, half a furlong less helped too, and she really was impressive.” Spa Prospector. Michael Burns Photography The race not only marked a major accomplishment for the horse, but also in her jockey’s career. This is Aebly’s first time breaking a track record, after coming close to it at Hastings Racecourse, where the 22-year-old began his career. “It felt pretty cool,” he said. “She’s a pretty nice filly, she’s pretty impressive the way she moved, so it was pretty cool to do that. I was happy to get the win too.” Although it is special to establish a track standard, Spa Prospector is not the first horse to break this record in 2026. Piper’s Factor, by The Factor, who is trained by multiple graded stakes winning trainer Katerina Vassilieva, had set the track record on the same surface and over the same distance on June 20, also in an Allowance Optional Claiming race. The 5-year-old crossed the finish line in 1:27.77 with Sofia Vives in the saddle, beating out stakes-winning rivals War Bomber (IRE) and Rapid Test. Interestingly, Aebly picked up the mount on Piper’s Factor in the horse’s most recent race, the $200,000 Grade 2 bet365 Connaught Cup Stakes, in which the pair finished in fourth. According to Adams, there are no specific future plans for Spa Prospector yet, but this fast filly is worth taking note of in her next race. -30- Anna Jeffs, for Woodbine Share This:Share
