CANDIAN STAKES | PURSE: $300,000 | 3-YEAR-OLDS & UP | GRADE 2 | FILLIES & MARES | 1 1/8 MILES (TURF)
Sam-Son Farm's homebred Deceptive Vision has been knocking on the door in stakes company, and the lightly-raced blueblood duly burst through with a convincing score in Sunday's Grade 2, $305,250 Canadian Stakes at Woodbine. While this "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf marked her career highlight, it proved to be a lowlight for 3-2 favorite Lexie Lou, who faded to an uncharacteristic last.
Deceptive Vision was bred for success as a full sister to Canadian champion Eye of the Leopard, the 2009 Queen's Plate hero, and to multiple stakes winner and Grade 2-placed Hotep, the runner-up in the 2010 Queen's Plate. The trio of classy siblings are all by A.P. Indy and out of Canadian champion Eye of the Sphynx, who won the 2004 Woodbine Oaks.
Third to Solid Appeal in the May 25 Nassau in her stakes debut, and just mugged on the line in the July 6 Dance Smartly over this same about 1 ⅛-mile trip, Deceptive Vision was the beaten favorite in both. With reigning Queen's Plate, Woodbine Oaks and Wonder Where star Lexie Lou monopolizing the attention here, Deceptive Vision went off as the 9-2 third choice, and proved an overlay.
As usual, La Tia scampered out to her favorite spot on the front and rattled off splits of :23 ⅗ seconds and :47 ⅕ seconds on the good turf. Skylander Girl and Lexie Lou stalked, until the favorite surprisingly beat a retreat on the far turn. Lexie Lou dropped back to the tail of the field, and jockey Patrick Husbands wrapped up on her, allowing her to gallop home in her own time.
Meanwhile, Deceptive Vision had been nestled off the pace in a ground-saving fifth. Switched out by Eurico Rosa da Silva to deliver her challenge down the lane, the Malcolm Pierce filly uncorked a powerful late kick to win by 2 ½ lengths. Deceptive Vision stopped the teletimer in 1:47 ⅘ and furnished an $11.30 win mutuel.
Royal Fury closed for runner-up honors by 1 ¾ lengths, and La Tia easily held third by 4 ¾ lengths from the deep-closing Meri Shika. Dance Again, the other runner representing Sam-Son and Pierce, reported home fifth, and Industrial Policy, Savvy Hester, Skylander Girl, Solid Appeal and Lexie Lou rounded out the order of finish.
Deceptive Vision's scorecard now stands at 7-4-2-1, $349,165. Debuting late in her juvenile season in 2012, the bay finished second in a seven-furlong maiden on the Woodbine Polytrack to Coffee Clique, who went on to win this year's Just a Game and Churchill Distaff Turf Mile. Deceptive Vision then shipped to Fair Grounds for the winter of 2012-13, and quickly broke her maiden and cleared her entry-level allowance condition, both on the dirt.
Sidelined for exactly one year, Deceptive Vision resurfaced at the historic New Orleans oval on February 22 and acted as if she'd never been away. She handily captured a second-level allowance in her turf debut, an effort that propelled her into her aforementioned stakes tries back at Woodbine.
The Ontario-bred's dam, Eye of the Sphynx, is a Smart Strike half-sister to multiple stakes victress Quiet Cleo, who produced 2000 Canadian Horse of the Year Quiet Resolve. Also Canada's champion turf horse of 2000, Quiet Resolve earned his signature win in the 1999 Atto Mile (now the Woodbine Mile).