Mondialiste Impresses in Woodbine Mile Win

Mondialiste closed to win the Woodbine Mile on Sept. 13. (Photos by Penelope P. Miller, unless otherwise noted)
By Claire Novak, @BH_CNovak
Content Provided by Blood-Horse
Sitting eighth at the three-sixteenths pole, Mondialiste unleashed a furious stretch run and found just enough to win the $1-million Ricoh Woodbine Mile Sept. 13 in Toronto.
The 5-year-old son of Galileo entered the race off back-to-back wins in England for trainer David O'Meara, including his first group score in the Betfred Mobile Strensall Stakes Aug. 22. It was the first international Grade 1 score not only for the horse, but for O'Meara and jockey Feargal Lynch.
After multiple Grade 1 winner Obviously sprinted to the front on a yielding Woodbine course, setting fractions of :23.21, :46.63, and 1:11.52, Mondialiste found himself near the back of the pack.
"The game plan was always to take our time, come with a late challenge, and just hope they would come back on the soft ground, and that's exactly what happened," Lynch said. "He'd plenty left but it was the way the race developed today, really, that made him shine through—and he's got an electric turn of foot."
MONDIALISTE COMING INTO THE WINNER'S CIRCLE

The duo came flying and split horses between Obviously and a hard-closing Lea in the final furlong to hit the wire first in a final time of 1:36.66.
Lea, in his first turf start since 2013, got second, while Obviously held for third. Kaigun, Reporting Star, Mr. Owen, Tower of Texas, Turncoat, and Platinum Glory completed the order of finish.
Off at odds of 3-1, Mondialiste returned $9.60, $4.50, and $3.20. Favored Lea brought $3.50 and $2.70, while Obviously paid $2.90.
The Woodbine Mile is a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" event for the Oct. 31 Breeders' Cup Mile at Keeneland, and at least one of the top three finishers is headed to that event for sure - Obviously, who was making his first start since finishing fifth in the Breeders' Cup Mile last year for the second consecutive season.
"He had everything going against him here with the soft turf, but he gutted it out," trainer Phil D' Amato said. "He gave it his all, and I think this sets him up really nice for the Breeders' Cup Mile."
Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott believes Lea, who came off a disappointing sixth in the Aug. 8 Whitney on dirt, will most likely carry on toward the Breeders' Cup as well.
"We'll take a vote, but I think there's a good chance," he said.
Mondialiste, meanwhile, will return to O'Meara's yard in England while his connections evaluate a potential Breeders' Cup run.
MONDIALISTE'S OWNERS HUG

"We'll have to consider it now," O'Meara said. "Today was the big race that we had in mind, stepping up to group I level ... The Breeders' Cup will be under consideration, but we'll just take the horse home and see how he is. We thought we'd come here with the long straight and the big track. I'm not quite sure whether Keeneland would suit him as well."
John Unger's homebred Strut the Course punched her ticket to the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf with a determined effort in the $300,000 Canadian Stakes Sept. 13 at Woodbine.
In ninth early with Luis Contreras aboard, last year's Canadian champion older female found space on the inside and outlasted fellow closer Button Down to win by a half-length in the one-turn, 1 1/8-mile Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" event.
Longshot Bear's Pride went to the front early and set fractions of :24.91 and :49.37 through a half-mile but faded in the late stages of the turn. Ticking Katie put a head in front after six furlongs and favored Hoop of Colour took command on the outside at the top of the stretch, but the top pair went past on the inside and dueled to the wire. Hoop of Colour held on for third.
"I really had a nice trip," Contreras said. "She broke good and she settled really nice behind horses. By the head of the stretch, I saw the opening and I went through, and she responded really well for me."
The 5-year-old Strut the Stage mare hit the wire in 1:49.56 over yielding turf for her third graded stakes win.
STRUT THE COURSE HEADING BACK AFTER WINNING THE CANADIAN

"She's the gift that keeps on giving," Unger said. "It's like winning the lottery over and over. I've never had a horse that even won anything more than allowance race before this one. It's just a gift from heaven. It's unbelievable."
The winner paid $4.80 for a $2 win bet.
JMJ Racing Stables' Interpol struck the front at the top of the stretch and held off a late-closing drive from 2013 New Zealand Derby victress Habibi to win the $339,400 Northern Dancer Presented by HPIBet Sept. 13 at Woodbine.
It was the first Grade 1 win for the 4-year-old English Channel colt, as well as for his jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson, who also guided Interpol to his first graded victory last time out in the Sky Classic for trainer Sid Attard Aug. 16 at the Toronto track.
"I was so relaxed today, honest to God. I wasn't nervous—most of the time I get really, really nervous, you know?" Attard said. "I wasn't worried about the soft going, I wasn't worried about the distance. He'll go all day long; the farther he'll go, the better for him. And I said to Emma, 'Today he's going to be right there, don't worry about nothing.' She's so confident on this horse. She loves him, and she only rode him twice."
INTERPOL AND WILSON AFTER THE NORTHERN DANCER

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
Off at odds of 10.30-to-1, the pair cut the first quarter in :26.13 but were content to settle second behind Danish Dynaformer for a :52.28 half. Interpol took command exiting the final turn while clocking the mile in 1:43.18 and 1 1/4 miles in 2:08.08, and held on to win by half a length. Habibi, the only female in a field of nine, closed from the back of the pack, weaving through traffic to make a bid on the rail, but could not get to the wire in time. Triple Threat finished three-quarters of a length back in third.
Final time for the 1 1/2 miles was 2:33 2/5 on yielding turf.
Interpol was bred in Ontario by Richard Lister out of the Strawberry Road mare Adel, and was a $90,000 purchase from the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale in 2012 when consigned by Cara Bloodstock.
Interpol paid $22.60 for a $2 win bet. To see the results from all the Woodbine races today, click here.