Don't Leave Me Back to Best in Colleen
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Pin Oak Stable homebred Don't Leave Me drove between horses in the stretch and overtook pacesetter London Tower to win the $159,700 Ontario Colleen Stakes (Can-IIIT) Aug. 22 at Woodbine.
A troubled fourth last time out in the Regret Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Churchill Downs June 13, the Lemon Drop Kid filly rallied with good energy down the center of the E.P. Taylor Turf Course to get the 2 1/2-length victory for leading rider Eurico Rosa da Silva. London Tower bested City Wells for third.
Multiple stakes winner London Tower was sent to the lead by Gary Boulanger, setting solid fractions of :24.34 and :48.55 for a half mile, with Green Doctor and Miss Mandate stalking. Don't Leave Me moved from seventh into fourth through the turn as London Tower and Green Doctor turned for home in unison.
Da Silva angled Don't Leave Me off the rail for the stretch run and she burst between London Tower and Green Doctor en route to an impressive 2 1/2-length victory.
"In the beginning, she was really sharp and I chirped on her and gave just a little tap on her shoulder and she wanted to take off," da Silva said. "I said, 'Woah babe, relax' and she did relax. She ran awesome."
Don't Leave Me, who is trained by Malcolm Pierce, covered the one-turn mile in 1:35.70 for her fourth win from seven career starts. She added a second graded win to her record, which also includes a win in the Bourbonette Oaks (gr. III) March 21 at Turfway Park. In between the that race and the June 13 Regret, in which she was checked hard into the final turn and blocked again down the lane, Don't Leave Me was second in the Selene Stakes (Can-III) May 24 at Woodbine.
Kentucky-bred Don't Leave Me is out Canadian grade I winner She How She Runs, by Maria's Mon.
Don't Leave Me paid $8.80, $4.60 and $3.40, and London Tower returned $4.60 and $3.50 while City Wells paid $2.90 to show. Pierce was pleased with the effort of the improving grey.
"We gave her plenty of time and aimed her for this race since the race at Churchill," Pierce said. "It looks like it was the right move. We just have to figure out where to go next."
Completing the order of finish were Her Majesty's Flag, Roaming, Miss Mandate, Green Doctor, Virginia Hill, and Mississippi Delta, the 2-1 favorite who was eased at the top of the lane and crossed the wire before walking off.