Hammerhead delivered a career-best performance at Woodbine on Saturday (December 6) as the improving 3-year-old powered home under Daisuke Fukumoto to claim his first stakes victory in the Valedictory Stakes 2025, a 1 ½-mile test for older runners on the main track.
On a crisp Toronto evening, Passing Game was sharpest from the gates and set an immediate tempo, opening up a clear advantage over Cool Kiss through steady early fractions. Hammerhead settled into a composed fifth place in the field of nine, biding his time as the pace unfolded.
Passing Game remained firmly in control through a half in :51.83, but Fukumoto began to inch Hammerhead forward approaching the final turn. Once given his cue just after the three-quarters mark, the dark bay colt surged into contention, drawing alongside the longtime leader as the field swung for home.
By the mile pole, Hammerhead had taken charge, travelling with purpose while others attempted to mount late challenges. Still full of energy straightening into the stretch, he opened daylight at the top of the lane before keeping on strongly to the wire. He crossed the finish one length in front in 2:34.40, with stablemate Jokestar finishing fast for second. Passing Game and Eff Thirty Five finished in a dead heat for third.
“I wanted to stay behind a horse so he’d stay relaxed, and he really settled well,” Fukumoto said. “Once I felt he was comfortable, I just let him find his rhythm. He’s a nice horse and he loves the distance.”
Trainer Kevin Attard, who has a long association with this marathon event, was pleased to see Hammerhead fulfil expectations. “We always believed these longer races would suit him,” Attard said. “But things just never lined up early on when we thought he was sitting on a win. There’s a confidence factor with horses tackling these kinds of distances, and it took a bit of time for him to put it all together.”
Hammerhead, a son of War Front out of Figarella’s Queen, entered the race following a runner-up finish over 1 3/8 miles on the inner turf in late October. Bred in Kentucky by Glen Hill Farm and owned by Gold Square LLC, he has steadily developed since debuting at Saratoga in August 2024. He broke his maiden that autumn with a decisive victory over the Woodbine inner turf and has continued to mature into a versatile stayer.
His win adds to Attard’s strong record in the race, with previous victories in 2015, 2018, and 2019. Hammerhead’s groom is Hopeton Francis, and the colt was a $225,000 yearling purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Sale.
The Valedictory triumph marks a significant step forward for Hammerhead, who now appears poised for a productive campaign in the long-distance ranks.
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