Vanzzy Wires Field to Win Display Stakes
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Photo: Michael Burns
Vanzzy wins the Display Stakes at Woodbine
Vanzzy led all the way in the CA$105,800 (US$80,348) Display Stakes for 2-year-olds Dec. 14 during the abbreviated penultimate program of the 2019 Thoroughbred meet at Woodbine.
With jockey Patrick Husbands along for the ride, the son of Verrazano wired the five-horse field, clocking fractions of :26.26, :51.32, and 1:15.19 over the all-weather track en route to victory in 1:45.90 for 1 1/16 miles.
The Michael Pino trainee held off the favored Elusive Knight in the stretch to win by half a length. Finalist, who pressed the pace down the backstretch, finished six lengths back in third. Northern Thunder ran fourth. Red Mercury crossed the wire and walked off, but was not listed as a finisher.
"I just get out front and get going," said Husbands. "I did everything the first quarter, the first half, and about four and a half out, I had to get my horse going—he got lazy on me—and by the time I got to the three-eighths pole, I was on a different horse and I just kept him alert."
The victory marks Husbands' fifth in the Display Stakes and lifts his 2019 Woodbine win total to 82.
"It's an honor and pleasure that the owners and trainers stick with me throughout the whole year," said Husbands, whose seasonal win total includes a meet-leading 21 stakes. "I'm not riding much, but everybody is still putting me on one or two live ones. I've got to tip my hat off to all the owners who invest in these horses, you know, there's so much on the line. But I'm blessed."
Sent postward as the 3-1 second choice, Vanzzy paid $8.40 to win. He was bred in Kentucky by Alexander-Groves Thoroughbreds out of the stakes-winning mare Selva, and is owned by Smart Angle.
Vanzzy made his Woodbine debut after competing at Parx Racing, where he finished second in the Parx Juvenile Stakes. The victory was his second in four career starts.