Western Whirl will face six rivals in the Grade 2 Nearctic Stakes on Saturday, October 3, with the Chiefswood Stable homebred set to return to Woodbine for another six-furlong test on the E.P. Taylor turf. The $250,000 contest for three-year-olds and older horses will form part of the Fall Turf Showcase card.
Trained by Stuart Simon, Western Whirl will make his second consecutive appearance in the Nearctic Stakes after finishing third in last year’s renewal. The son of Twirling Candy, out of the Gone West mare Western Rose, will arrive for the race with a consistent record and a series of strong graded-stakes performances behind him.
Western Whirl will have 20 starts to his name, with three victories, six runner-up finishes and five third-place efforts. His career earnings will stand at $319,845, while he will have finished among the top four in 16 of his 20 starts.
Last year’s Nearctic Stakes will have seen Western Whirl finish less than a length behind the winner, No Nay Hudson (IRE). Simon will now look for further improvement from the gelding as he prepares for another attempt at the Woodbine sprint.
The trainer will point to the maturity Western Whirl has shown since his previous appearance in the race. Simon will also have the benefit of a horse who will have continued to perform consistently at graded-stakes level.
Western Whirl Will Bring Strong Graded-Stakes Form
The Grade 2 Nearctic Stakes will provide Western Whirl with another opportunity to build on a productive season. In three starts during 2026, he will have finished third in the Jacques Cartier Stakes (G3), second in the Highlander Stakes (G2T) and second by a head in the Bold Venture Stakes (G2) on August 15.
Those results will give Western Whirl a strong recent record heading into Saturday’s six-furlong assignment. The Nearctic Stakes will also mark his sixth consecutive start at the graded-stakes level.
Simon will describe Western Whirl as a consistent sprinter who will continue to improve with age. The trainer will also be encouraged by the gelding’s willingness to produce competitive efforts across different surfaces.
The return to the outer turf at Woodbine will be another important part of the preparation. Western Whirl will have shown that he can handle both synthetic racing and the inner turf, but Simon will expect the E.P. Taylor turf to suit his larger frame particularly well.
The sweeping turns of the outer turf course will be considered more suitable for Western Whirl than the tighter turns of the inner turf. Simon will have regrouped with the gelding following his latest race and will have focused the preparation specifically on Saturday’s assignment.
Western Whirl will also arrive with encouraging recent workouts. On September 18, he will have covered four furlongs in 48.80 seconds. One week later, he will have worked five furlongs over the same surface in 1:01.20.
Simon will report that the gelding will have trained well since his last race and will enter the Nearctic Stakes in good condition. Amanda Gregory will serve as his groom.
The field will feature seven runners in total. Works for Me will start from post one with Sahin Civaci aboard for trainer Joseph Lee. Victory Achieved will break from post two under Rafael Hernandez for Mark Casse.
Isivunguvungu (SAF) will occupy post three with Ryan Munger in the saddle for Graham Motion. Western Whirl will be drawn in post four and will have Fraser Aebly aboard for Stuart Simon.
Gas Me Up will start from post five with Pietro Moran for Kevin Attard, while Nobals will leave from post six under E.T. Baird for Larry Rivelli. Essex Serpent will complete the field from post seven with Emma-Jayne Wilson aboard for Mark Casse.
The race will also carry a notable history at Woodbine. Hall of Fame jockey Robin Platts will have won the first three editions, partnering Rare Adventure in 1973, Henry Tudor in 1974 and Gurkhas Band in 1975. Play The King will have recorded consecutive victories in 1987 and 1988, while Wild Zone will have achieved the same feat in 1995 and 1996.
Western Whirl will therefore return to a race in which he will already have experience, while his recent graded-stakes form will provide another key part of his preparation. With six rivals standing in his way, Saturday’s Grade 2 Nearctic Stakes will give the Chiefswood Stable homebred another chance to establish himself among Woodbine’s leading turf sprinters.
The Grade 2 Nearctic Stakes will see Western Whirl return to Woodbine on October 3, with the Chiefswood Stable homebred set for another six-furlong test after a consistent graded-stakes campaign.
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