Sir Dudley Digges suffering no setbacks in recovery from Plate victory

Sir Dudley Digges has suffered no setbacks from his stirring upset win in the $1-million Queen’s Plate.

Trainer Mike Maker said Wednesday the three-year-old son of Gio Ponti is in Louisville, Ky., none the worse for wear following Sunday’s thrilling victory at Woodbine Racetrack. The horse remains on schedule to run in the second jewel of Canadian thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown, the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes on July 26 at Fort Erie, Ont.

“He came back in good order,” Maker said in a telephone interview. “Everything is a go so far.”

Sir Dudley Digges went off at 15-1 odds in North America’s oldest annually-run stakes race and tracked the pace from sixth spot. He moved into position as the field turned into the stretch, then surged past Scholar Athlete and 5/2 favourite Amis Gizmo in deep stretch to capture his first career stakes victory and second win overall in nine lifetime starts.

Sir Dudley Digges has finished in the money in eight of his races (three seconds, three thirds) and the $600,000 Plate winner’s share dwarfed the $80,896 he’d earned prior to Sunday.

rainbow eyes

Nanaimo judge hands old growth logging protestor additional jail time

1h ago

Paris Bound

Nanaimo race walker Olivia Lundman qualifies for Paris Olympic Games

3h ago

CONCENTRATED HOUSING

Single-family builds down in Nanaimo while denser housing units increase

9h ago

Amis Gizmo was the Plate favourite after winning the $150,000 Plate Trial on June 12. Sir Dudley Digges finished third in the 1 1/8-mile race, which was his first at Woodbine.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better effort,” Maker said of jockey Julien Leparoux’s trip Sunday aboard Sir Dudley Digges. “His effort prior to the Queen’s Plate was good.

“I was kind of surprised that he went off at 15-1.”

That won’t be the case at Fort Erie Racetrack. If Sir Dudley Digges does run, he’ll undoubtedly be installed as the early race favourite.

Leparoux had ridden Sir Dudley Digges on three previous occasions including the colt’s maiden-breaking victory at Keeneland on April 22.

There’s no doubt in co-owner Ken Ramsey’s mind that his horse will be at Fort Erie. Following the 1 1/4-mile Plate, Ramsey — who’d bet roughly $3,600 on Sir Dudley Digges —declared he’ll make the trip to Fort Erie, Ont., and continue his quest to become Canadian racing’s first Triple Crown winner since Wando in ’03.

Maker said while he’s not staying up at night dreaming of winning the Triple Crown, he has allowed himself to at least think about it.

“I mean, who wouldn’t,” he said.

Sunday’s victory in a 13-horse field was redemption of sorts for Ramsey. In 2014 his horse We Miss Artie was the 8/5 favourite but finished fourth.

The 1 3/16-mile Prince of Wales Stakes will present Sir Dudley Digges with a new set of challenges. 

First of all, the race will be run on dirt — the Plate was on Woodbine’s Tapeta course. And the backstretch at Fort Erie Racetrack is roughly 30 yards longer than at Woodbine, which gives horses more time to come off the pace and catch the leaders with a late charge.

Maker said he’ll devise a strategy for Fort Erie Racetrack closer to the race but isn’t concerned about having Sir Dudley Digges run on dirt. After all, the horse has raced on dirt, turf and Tapeta courses and trains on dirt at Churchill Downs.

“He’s been a model of consistency,” Maker said. “He’s been on dirt before, and even although they were maiden races I think he’ll be OK.

“It seems he can handle anything we throw at him.”

Maker said Sir Dudley Digges will resume his normal training schedule very shortly.

“He’ll breeze a week after the race,” he said. “He’ll gallop up to a week prior to the (Prince of Wales), then we’ll breeze him (July 19th) and probably ship after that.”

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press