Classic Mo Town and jockey Eswan Flores winning the bet365 Eclipse Stakes. (Michael Burns Photo)
Chris Lomon, Woodbine
TORONTO, Ont. – A model of consistency, Classic Mo Town finally charted his first stakes success with a win in the $175,000 bet365 Eclipse (G2) on Saturday afternoon at Woodbine.
Having finished in the top four in 20 of 21 career starts coming into the Eclipse, Classic Mo Town, trained by Marty Drexler and owned by Bruno Schickedanz, had always shown he’s up for the challenge.
The 5-year-old gelding, who was runner-up in last year’s Valedictory (G3) – his only prior stakes engagement – can now add graded stakes victor to his resume, courtesy of a sterling performance in the Eclipse, a 1 1/16-mile main track affair for 4-year-olds and up.
Multiple graded stakes winner Get Smokin, who won the 2024 Valedictory, stormed to the front early on, and was joined to his inside by Possiblemente, a stablemate of Classic Mo Town, and multiple stakes winner Dataman, who settled into third. Classic Mo Town, under Eswan Flores, sat a relaxed sixth of eight through an opening panel in 24:04.
Get Smokin continued to call the shots through a half in :47.86, while Classic Mo Town remained sixth.
Possiblemente ratcheted up the pressure on Get Smokin heading into the turn, but Classic Mo Town, who had dipped inside and was then moved to an outside path, was full of run and announced his arrival in early stretch, before charging to the lead.
A head on top at the stretch call, the bay crossed the wire a three-quarter length winner in 1:42.97. Webslinger rallied to net second, while Get Smokin was third.
“It’s such a nice horse, it’s so easy to get along,” said Flores, who teamed with Schickedanz and Drexler to win the Jacques Cartier Stakes (G3) with Old Chestnut earlier in the card. We’re inside, the inside was my only worry that, you know, maybe I could get stuck in there. Marty had him so ready today. It was just a press button.”
Added Drexler, “Well, he’s always been a hard-knocking type of horse, and I figured he was in good order going into it. He was a good one right from the time we took him – he’s always there. And Eswan’s riding confident right now, so I think that’s the biggest thing.”
Bred in Florida by John B. Penn & Sue’s Farm II, LLC, the well-travelled son of Mo Town out of the Potrillon (ARG) mare Potra Clasica (ARG) broke his maiden in his fourth start, the milestone coming at Gulfstream Park on July 28, 2023.
Now 6-3-8 from 22 starts, Classic Mo Town paid $20.10 for today’s win.
