TORONTO - Marsh Side, a 25-1 longshot, captured the $2-million Pattison Canadian International turf race Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack.
Marsh Side, trained by Neil Drysdale and ridden by Javier Castellano, earned the stunning win on a firm turf in cool, overcast conditions. With the win, owner Robert Evans collected the $1.2-million winner's share in the 1 1/2-mile race, Canada's richest thoroughbred event.
Canadian horse Spice Route, trained by Hall of Famer Roger Attfield, was second despite going off at 35-1 odds. Champs Elysees was third in the 10-horse field.
The International was a Breeders' Cup Challenge `Win and You're In' race, meaning Marsh Side also earned a berth in the Breeders' Cup turf event, which will be held later this month at Santa Anita in California.
Three other turf stakes - the $1-million E.P. Taylor for fillies and mares, the $500,000 Nearctic for sprinters and $300,000 Summer for two-year-olds - were also contested. They, too, were Breeders' Cup Challenge `Win and You're In' races so those winners were also eligible for their respective Breeders' Cup races.
Grand Adventure, an 8-1 pick owned by Sam-Son Farms of Milton, Ont., captured the Summer Stakes by a head over Skipadate.
