Woodbine racing heads into a significant weekend with two Ontario-bred stakes carrying plenty of interest at the Toronto track. Six three-year-olds will contest Saturday’s $400,000 Breeders’ Stakes, the final jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown, while Sunday’s $150,000 Grand Valley Stakes will see seasoned campaigner Wicked Django return to the E.P. Taylor turf.
The Breeders’ Stakes will be run over 1½ miles on the E.P. Taylor turf, making it the longest leg of the Canadian Triple Crown. Luster captured the King’s Plate on August 15 before Military Time took the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie on September 7.
Among the six runners, Buium arrives with a particularly interesting profile. The Kevin Attard-trained gelding finished third in the Prince of Wales Stakes, beaten by three-quarters of a length after staying on strongly over 1 3/16 miles.
Attard is now hoping the longer distance and return to the Woodbine turf will bring out another step forward.
Woodbine Racing Spotlight Falls on Buium
Buium will make his fifth stakes appearance, having already shown considerable consistency despite still searching for a first career victory.
The homebred son of Uncle Mo, out of stakes-placed mare Lady Haddassah, has recorded two seconds, four thirds and nine top-four finishes from 10 starts.
His late-running style could prove valuable over the extended E.P. Taylor course, particularly if the early pace is strong enough to bring the closers into the race.
“When you look at what the race is – on the grass and that long, long stretch – there’s every reason to believe a horse who can run all day will appreciate both the course and the distance,” Attard said.
Buium made his debut over seven furlongs on the E.P. Taylor turf in August 2025. After encountering trouble at the start, he settled well back before producing a strong finish to take fourth following a stewards’ inquiry.
He ended his juvenile campaign with a pair of thirds and a fourth, along with an unplaced effort in the Coronation Futurity Stakes.
This season, Buium has finished among the top three in four of his five starts. His latest effort at Fort Erie further strengthened the belief within the stable that a breakthrough could be close.
Owner Al Ulwelling has also been encouraged by the horse’s progress and temperament.
“He’s a very laid-back horse, and I think that he would love the long stretch of Woodbine,” Ulwelling said.
For the Ulwellings and Attard, the Breeders’ Stakes represents an opportunity to complete a sweep of the Canadian Triple Crown races. The partnership has already enjoyed success in the King’s Plate and Prince of Wales Stakes.
“To win all three Canadian Triple Crown races would be a dream come true,” Attard said.
Buium will be ridden by Emma-Jayne Wilson, with Elaine Bradbury serving as groom.
The six-horse Breeders’ Stakes field will also include Bond Market, to be ridden by Xarel Forde for trainer Carlos Grant; Keepmypowderdry, partnered by Pietro Moran for Don MacRae; Fire and Wine, with Jalon Samuel aboard for Zeljko Krcmar; Katie’s Grace, ridden by Ryan Munger for Catherine Day Phillips; and Imyourmedicineman, with Fraser Aebly in the saddle for Harold Ladouceur.
The most recent Canadian Triple Crown winner was Wando, who completed the sweep in 2003.
Buium’s latest published workout came on September 19, when he covered four furlongs in 50.40 seconds over Woodbine’s dirt training track.
Wicked Django Brings Strong Form Into Grand Valley
Sunday’s Grand Valley Stakes will bring Wicked Django back to the E.P. Taylor turf for a 1⅛-mile test against six other Ontario-bred runners.
The six-year-old, trained by Renico Lafond, enters the race following a determined second-place finish behind Paramount Prince in the Caledon Stakes on August 30.
Lafond was particularly pleased with the effort, considering the circumstances of the race and the quality of the winner.
Wicked Django had begun his season with a second-place finish in June before suffering a minor setback. Lafond subsequently gave the horse time before returning him to competition.
A seven-furlong allowance race on August 9 served as a stepping stone, with Wicked Django finishing fifth. Three weeks later, he bounced back with his strong runner-up effort in the Caledon Stakes.
That progression has left Lafond satisfied with the horse’s preparation for Sunday.
“He’s been training great every day. He looks amazing. He’s happy,” Lafond said.
A son of Wicked Strong out of Belcarres, Wicked Django has three wins, four seconds and four thirds from 16 starts, with $287,847 in purse earnings.
The Grand Valley will mark his return to the turf and a slight increase in distance from the 1 1/16 miles of the Caledon Stakes.
“He’s at the right distance, and he’s in great form,” Lafond said.
Keveh Nicholls, who partnered Wicked Django to victory in the 2024 Autumn Stakes, will take the mount again. Damian Jones is the groom.
Wicked Django’s latest workout came on September 19, when he covered five furlongs in 1:00.00 on the main track.
“He worked fantastic, and he’s ready to go,” Lafond said.
The Grand Valley is the third of four new $150,000 stakes restricted to Registered Ontario Breds introduced through the Ontario Thoroughbred Improvement Program this season.
Wicked Django will start from post two. The remaining runners are Rapid Test, with Austin Adams aboard for Catherine Day Phillips; Paramount Prince, ridden by Fraser Aebly for Mark Casse; Side Street, with Jose Campos for Rachel Halden; Faber, partnered by Emma-Jayne Wilson for Kevin Attard; Naptown, with Rafael Hernandez for Jose Magana; and Watsonville Red, ridden by Pietro Moran for Mike De Paulo.
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