A look at some of the top highlights from the past weekend of racing at Woodbine. How Sweet it is An emphatic rise to the upper crust of Saturday afternoon’s $150,000 HPIbet Royal North (G3T) Stakes by 70-1 lottery ticket Ms. Tart sent shockwaves through the first turf stakes of the 2025 Woodbine season. Teamed up with rider Huber Villa-Gomez, the daughter of Maximus Mischief–Sheza Sweet Lemon roared back to overtake 12-1 foe Ready to Jam for the half-length tally. The first graded stakes win for both Ms. Tart and her trainer Kevin Rice returned a whopping $143.30. Two Halves The trainer-jockey duo of Marty Drexler and Eswan Flores made their presence felt on Saturday, teaming up to take two of the day’s four stakes contests. Leading off with Old Chestnut in the Grade 3 Jacques Cartier Stakes (race one), Flores steered the 8-year-old gelding to an uncontested 2 ¾-length victory, paying $9.50. Flores and Drexler reunited for the main event – the bet365 Eclipse Stakes (G2) – with Classic Mo Town, who successfully tracked down his first graded triumph at 9-1 ($20.10). Both stakes winners are owned by Bruno Schickedanz. No Surprise A valiant push and a head’s difference was all Never Surprised needed to capture race seven on Sunday afternoon and propel his career earnings total north of $700,000. Making his sixth consecutive start at Woodbine, and first of 2025, the son of Constitution out of Tiznow mare Tiz Dixie started his season out right with a gritty vault for the finish line. It was the third win on the card for jockey Pietro Moran. Bred by Golden Pedigree LLC and trained by Kevin Attard, the 7-year-old bay now sports a 6-7-0 line across 19 starts. Stay tuned Live racing continues Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, the $125,000 Fury Stakes Presented by Stella Artois. The $125,000 Queenston Stakes takes centre stage on Sunday. Post time for both days is 1:05 p.m. Share This:Share
