TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon

Big Game Babbo

Not to be confused with Seattle Seahawks rookie wide receiver Jake Bobo, Babbo secured his most impressive win to date this past Saturday at Woodbine.

The colt jumped out to an early lead and never relinquished en route to an impressive 2 1/2-length triumph in the $250,000 Coronation Futurity. Closing at 5-1, Babbo held firm against 9-5 Piper’s Factor, who’s now finished second in consecutive races after closing as the favorite.

The big win also earned the Sid Attard trainee some early buzz ahead of the 165th running of the King’s Plate on Aug. 17, 2024.

Babbo, who now owns an impressive 3-2-0 career line through six starts, paid $12.20 for the win.

Headstrong

Inudation edged the competition late to score career win number one in the $250,000 Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Woodbine on Nov. 25.

The collective heartbeats of fans and horsepeople were beating extra fast on Saturday as Inundation (12-1) and War Painter (9-2) stood neck-and-neck with the finish line fast approaching. The underdog ultimately held on just long enough to capture the Princess Elizabeth by a head.

In an unexpected turn of events, 4-5 closing line favorite Olivia Rose finished fifth behind 68-1 lottery ticket Bravo Kate, who was elevated to fourth after Hurricane Clair was disqualified.

The special score paid a handsome $26.60.

Steeling the Show

Just Steel stole the show at Churchill Downs over the weekend, claiming the $225,000 Ed Brown Stakes as a 12-1 longshot.

The surprise performance resulted in the 2-year-old’s first ever stakes win, and second overall through seven contests (2-1-1).

Prior to Saturday, Just Steel had tried his hand at the graded level twice, but struggled to finishes of sixth and seventh. Both affairs, the Hopeful Stakes (G1) and Breeders’ Futurity (G1), were of the Grade 1 variety.

Sliding down to the Black Type ranks proved to be the right move for the Joel Rosario mount, who rewarded bettors with a payout of $27.08 for the win.

So Close…

Youalmosthadme is a fitting name for a horse who rallied late to slide ahead of the competition for a three-quarter length win in the $215,000 Fern Creek Stakes at Churchill Downs.

Closing as the 3-5 favorite, Youalmosthadme needed every last ounce of juice to make up for a slow start that cost him valuable time early on. Once the colt found his rhythm, it became clear why he’s yet to miss the podium through six career runs (4-1-1).

Saturday’s victory was also the Brad Cox trainee’s second consecutive stakes success. On Oct. 27, the field did not almost have him, as Youalmosthadme cruised to a seven-length win in the $200,000 Myrtlewood Stakes.

The Fern Creek score paid a modest $3.56.

Gigante Bounce Back

Gigante bounced back from a pair of tough starts in a big way on Sunday afternoon at Churchill Downs.

At 10-1, the Virginia-bred colt outlasted 3-5 favorite Northern Invader to take home the $300,000 Commonwealth Turf Stakes by 4 ½-lengths. The 1 1/16-mile event became the second stakes victory to appear on Gigante’s inconsistent resume.

It’s been hit-or-miss through 12 starts for the Steve Asmussen trainee, who’s found his way into the money in half of those dozen starts (5-0-1). When he’s on, he’s on. When he’s off, he’ll settle somewhere between fifth and tenth.

Luckily for those who sided with the Gabe Davis of horses, Sunday was your lucky day. The win paid a cool $22.06.