Alberta Bred Runners Finish One - Two in City of Leduc Stakes

With the first running of the City of Leduc Stakes under wraps at Century Mile in Nisku, Alberta this past Sunday, it’s exciting to recognize both the winner and the second-place finisher as Alberta-bred runners. What’s more, both of these talented athletes are recent graduates of the CTHS Alberta Sale as yearlings, just last fall!

The inaugural champion of this two-year-old stakes race, Maskwecis, is a son of Jimmy Creed and out of the mare Maidstone, by Aptitude ($1,965,410). In just the second start of his career, Maskwecis now has a first and second place finish as well as earnings of $30, 691 to show for his efforts. The gelding’s sire, Jimmy Creed, is a graded stakes winner himself of $439,250. Consigned by breeder Doug Oberg as a yearling in the 2018 CTHS Alberta Sale, Maskwecis is owned now by Red Ron Farms, trained by Ron Smith and was piloted to victory in his first stakes race by jockey Anastasios Chalaris.

Mindful of the success of Maskwecis in just his first two starts, it is inspiring to make note of the Jimmy Creed offspring up for offer in the CTHS Alberta Sale this year. Another gelding, this time a chestnut yearling out of Flashy n’ Sheikh (by Sheikh Albadou) is consigned from Esquirol Farms. The first dam was a winner of $44,304 in her three-year-old year and the second dam, Flashy Chestnut (by Briartic) an earner of $73,771 with five wins from ages two through four. Hip No. 6 will be one to watch for anyone looking to find their future stakes champion.

If it makes us proud to declare an Alberta-bred as a stakes winner, then count us thrilled to recognize that the runner-up was bred within the province as well! Holding her own as the only filly among tough company, Pearl of Knowledge came second to Maskwecis in an exciting finish that was only decided in the final moments of the City of Leduc Stakes. A daughter of the stakes winner, Cape Canaveral ($128,640) and out of Lil Missknowitall ($142,568), this young filly has earnings to date of $19,759 on just two starts with a first and second place finish.

Cape Canaveral is among the leading sires in Canada with 287 winners in his progeny—35 of them stakes winners—for cumulative earnings near $17 million. Originally consigned to the 2018 CTHS Alberta Sale by Starline Thoroughbreds, Pearl of Knowledge is now owned by Don Danard and Jim Juris. For her success in racing action last weekend, she was trained by Greg Tracy and jockeyed by Dane Nelson.

Fans of the beautiful and talented Pearl of Knowledge will be pleased to learn that there are a number of offspring by her sire, Cape Canaveral, consigned to the CTHS Alberta Sale in September. Going one step further, Hip No. 30 is a dark bay or brown colt out of the same dam, Lil Missknowitall. Again consigned by Starline Thoroughbreds, this year’s offering is sired by Mank ($29,470), a half-brother to stakes winner, Conquest Mo Money ($510,580) and a son of another stakes winner, Pulpit ($728,200).

It is plain to see the talent in our Alberta-bred thoroughbreds and the results of the City of Leduc Stakes last weekend have served to emphasize this fact. The CTHS Alberta Sale serves to showcase this each year!

Scheduled for September 13, 2019 at Westerner Park in Red Deer, more details are available on the CTHS Alberta website: www.cthsalta.com. If the recent success of our sale graduates is any indication, there will be many future champions up for offer again in the auction this year. See you in September!