Decision Day Indeed in Coronation Futurity

Donver Stable's homebred Decision Day battled for the early lead and held off hounding pressure to capture the $219,327 Coronation Futurity for 2-year-olds bred in Canada Nov. 29 at Woodbine .

With Jesse Campbell riding for trainer Josie Carroll, 7-1 shot Decision Day became a stakes winner in his third career start, prevailing by a head over outsider Nipigon. The winning colt by Macho Uno   out of the Unbridled's Song mare Cry of the Wild finished second in his career debut and then broke his maiden on the stretch-out to one mile and 70 yards in his second start Oct. 13.

The victory stamps Decision Day a key contender for next year's Queen's Plate.

Decision Day grabbed the inside spot early in the 1 1/8-mile stakes on Polytrack and held his position as 51-1 shot Cordova, who finished last in a nine-horse field, held a slim lead through early fractions of :24.69 for the first quarter mile and :49.90 for the half. As Cordova faded, Decision Day met with outside pressure from Samuel Dechamplain through six furlongs in 1:15.27.

The leader fought off that challenge but appeared defeated when 14-1 shot Nipigon rallied from sixth and narrowed the margin to a head. But Decision Day held by a head to defeat Nipigon, who had 1 1/4 lengths over the rallying 19-10 favorite Shez a Masterpiece.

The time for 1 1/8 miles on the synthetic surface was 1:52.50.

Decision Day, a Donver Stables homebred, covered 1 1/8-miles in 1:52.53.



"I worked him twice. The connections made a bit change and he's been going very nice with the new bit," said Campbell. "I thought if he broke clean, we'd be close up. I didn't think we'd be on the lead, but I knew we were going slow and he was a real live horse so I just let him be happy.



"The last thing I wanted to do was get him behind a slow pace and get too tricky about it. I knew he could get the distance so it made those decisions a little easier."



Decision Day arrived at the Coronation Futurity from a 2 1/2-length maiden allowance score.



"It was really nice to see this horse grow up," said Campbell. "When he won his maiden race he was quite green, but he really let me get into him down the lane and he fought hard."



Carroll believes that Decision Day will only improve as he matures.



"He still has a lot of growing up to do," she said. "If you look at him, he's still kind of leggy and gangly, and mentally he hasn't really figured things out, but he's on his way."

Decision Day will look to become the first horse since Norcliffe to score the Futurity-Plate double, a feat the Hall of Fame runner achieved in winning the 1975 Coronation Futurity and 1976 Queen's Plate.

Decision Day, who hadn't raced in restricted company until the Coronation Futurity, paid $17.40, $8.60, and $5.10 across the board. Nipigon returned $12.60 and $7.60, and the filly Shez a Masterpiece paid $3.30 to show. The $2 exacta paid $126.30 and the $2 trifecta $314.60.

Decision Day's second win in three starts was worth $131,385, boosting the dark bay colt's career eanrings to $179,435.

Danzig Moon was a stewards scratch.