Tesseron tops Turf Endurance standings at series’ midpoint

​TORONTO, September 20 – Tesseron will look to pad his leading point total this Saturday, Sept. 23 as the Woodbine Turf Endurance Series continues with its third leg at an expanded distance of 1-5/8 miles over the world-renowned E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

Woodbine’s innovative series is comprised of four turf races run at extended distances running from July through October and culminates with a $15,000 bonus and trophy for the connections of the final point leader.

At the midway mark of the competition, Tesseron tops the standings with 15 points – leading by a margin of four over Entwistle, who won the opening leg.

Owned by Kirk Sutherland and trained by Harold Ladouceur, Tesseron was claimed for $16,000 off a winning effort on June 23 prior to the first leg of the Woodbine Turf Endurance Series.

“I liked him as a racehorse and this series had a little bit to do with it,” said Ladouceur of the seven-year-old gelding, who is five-time winner with almost $230,000 banked in purses. “My wife [Jessie] is the one that actually picked him out for us to claim.”

Tesseron finished a rallying third in the first 1-3/8 mile leg on July 22 to earn his first five points and came back to win the 1-1/2 mile second leg on August 19 adding 10 more points to take the top spot with Emma-Jayne Wilson aboard.

“I was really happy with the first race because I knew he did get in trouble,” said Ladouceur, who took comfort in the fact that there was room for improvement. “The way he came back and ran that second race and the way she worked him, I was so happy. It seems like they get along good.”

Ladouceur believes with a more relaxed racing style, Tesseron will be able to compete at the extended distances coming up in the series.

“I’m real happy with his training; he’s doing well,” said Ladouceur. “You’ve got to keep them conditioned and fit. I’ve never run a race that far so for me it’s just a learning experience too. I think it’s more about keeping the horse happy and you need to have a horse that wants to run. I think it has a lot to do with the horse and the way the jockey can rate him.”

In addition to proper conditioning and adjusting racing strategy for success at the longer distances, Ladouceur notes that breeding is also a factor, referring to Tesseron’s sire Tapit.

“He’s a Tapit so they like to run; they’re distance horses. His daddy is a great distance horse,” he said.

Following Saturday’s 1-5/8 mile leg, the series will wrap up on October 22 with the final 2-1/4 mile marathon.

“It seems like a challenge, it’s exciting,” said Ladouceur of the new Woodbine series. “I hope the horse performs for the fans and the people that are interested in this kind of a series.”

The Turf Endurance Series is open to any horse with preference given to horses with the most points. Horses earn points each race as follows: 1st = 10 points, 2nd = 7 points, 3rd = 5 points, 4th = 3 points, 5th = 2 points, all other entrants = 1 point.

Other contenders in Saturday’s third leg include Supreme Commander (9 points) and Sine Metu (8 points), who both competed in the opening legs of the series and rank third and fourth in the standings. Swellelegent (3 points) will make his second series start while High Sobriety, O Wanderlust and Liddyup join the action for the third round.

Ladouceur is proud of his top ranking contender and hopes to see Tesseron’s success continue as the series progresses.

“Every day with an animal can change, so you never know, but right now he’s on top of his game,” said Ladouceur.

Here is a look at the complete field for the third leg of the Turf Endurance Series, which is scheduled as the second race on Saturday afternoon. First race post time is set for 1 p.m.

Woodbine Turf Endurance Series – Leg 3
PP – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1. High Society – Juan Crawford – Marilyn McMullen
2. Swellelegent – Rafael Hernandez – Neil Morris
3. Tesseron – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Harold Ladouceur
4. Supreme Commander – Eurico Rosa da Silva – Sid Attard
5. Sine Metu – Simon Husbands – Debra Rombis
6. O Wanderlust – David Moran – John Mattine
7. Liddyup – Daisuke Fukumoto – Tony Gattellaro

For more information on the Woodbine Turf Endurance Series, click here.