TORONTO, October 2, 2026 — The Cup and Saucer Stakes 2026 will provide Glorious Gem with an early opportunity to test her staying credentials when the $300,000 contest for Canadian-bred two-year-olds is run Sunday at Woodbine.
Trained by Dale Desruisseaux, the Hillsbrook Farms homebred will make just her second career appearance in the 1 1/16-mile contest on the E.P. Taylor turf. The daughter of Tonalist was a promising second on debut over seven furlongs at Woodbine on September 13.
Glorious Gem was sixth of seven in the early stages of that race before making a wide move approaching the three-eighths pole. She was then forced even wider in the upper stretch but kept finding ground to finish second, beaten 3 1/4 lengths.
Desruisseaux believes the first outing was primarily about giving his filly the experience she needed ahead of a longer assignment.
“The seven-eighths in her first race wasn’t the ideal distance, but we needed to get a race into her before this one,” Desruisseaux said. “We told Rafi (jockey Rafael Hernandez) to just let her break, come running and make sure she gallops out really well, which she did.”
Cup and Saucer Stakes 2026 Gives Glorious Gem a Longer Test
The move to 1 1/16 miles is expected to suit Glorious Gem, whose trainer sees a horse built more for stamina than acceleration.
Desruisseaux described her development as a gradual process, noting that she has strengthened considerably since her early days in the stable.
“I would kind of describe her as a teenage kid going through some growth spurts,” he said. “She had a string-bean look to her early on, but she has definitely put on some muscle and grew taller. Now, she is a taller, narrower, typical two-turn looking filly.”
The presence of male rivals has not deterred the stable from taking its chance. Desruisseaux feels Glorious Gem’s pedigree and racing style make the longer journey a natural progression.
“We think she fits here and we have her ready to go on Sunday. She is a staying-type filly, who looks like she will love to run long, and she even trains that way.”
Rather than relying on a sharp burst of speed, Glorious Gem is expected to build her effort through the race.
“She doesn’t have a big turn of foot, but she just grinds away and keeps going that speed the whole way,” Desruisseaux added.
The decision to step into stakes company so early in her career was not taken lightly, but the trainer believes the opportunity was worth taking.
“It is asking a lot from her to go into a stakes race for her second start, but you only get one chance to after it, so we made the decision to run her here.”
The filly’s pedigree further strengthens the belief that she can thrive over longer distances. She is a half-sister to Hard Not to Like, a multiple graded stakes winner bred by Williamson who captured the Cup and Saucer in 2011. Tonalist, meanwhile, is another influence associated with stamina.
“We have known from day one that she is the type who wants to run two miles. She is bred to go long,” Desruisseaux said.
Irina Sirotinina is Glorious Gem’s groom.
Glorious Gem Shows Progress in Training
Glorious Gem has continued to prepare steadily for her second start. On September 26, she covered four furlongs in 50.80 seconds over Woodbine’s main track.
Desruisseaux described the workout as a maintenance breeze designed to sharpen her fitness without taking too much out of her.
“We sat behind a horse to teach her to rate a little bit. She went by them at the wire and galloped out very nicely,” he said.
The Cup and Saucer has a long history at Woodbine. Hall of Fame trainer Jim Day holds the record with 10 victories, including seven consecutive editions from 1984 through 1990.
The inaugural running came in 1937, when Suffern, a son of Sweeper and Marathon mare Saffron, took the honours. Suffern finished his career with 14 wins, four seconds and eight thirds from 54 starts.
The 10-horse field will see King’s Counsel start from post one with Daisuke Fukumoto aboard for trainer Barb Minshall. Barger will break from post two under Jose Campos for Sid Attard, while Mo Cookie will occupy post three with Rico Walcott riding for Mike De Paulo.
Bunyan will start from post four with Fraser Aebly in the saddle for Kevin Attard. Canada will be drawn in post five for jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson and trainer Mark Casse, while Sunny’s Rainbow will start from post six with Luis Contreras riding for Mike De Paulo.
Whatta Move will leave from post seven with Pietro Moran aboard for Josie Carroll. Glorious Gem has drawn post eight and will be ridden by Rafael Hernandez for Desruisseaux. Road to Glory will start from post nine under Ryan Munger for John Charalambous, while Ghostface completes the field from post 10 with Sahin Civaci riding for Mark Casse.
For Glorious Gem, the challenge will be significant, but so too is the opportunity. Her debut suggested that she possesses the determination to keep going, while her pedigree points towards greater effectiveness as the distances increase.
Sunday’s Cup and Saucer Stakes 2026 will therefore offer an important early indication of just how far this Hillsbrook Farms homebred can progress.
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