Abeliefinthislivin Gets Up to Take Canadian Derby
The 94th running of the CA$197,500 Canadian Derby (G3) at Century Mile Racetrack and Casino in Edmonton, Canada, set off under the lights Aug. 26, and went to the late running Abeliefinthislivin , who collected his first graded stakes victory.
The Barbara Heads-trained Arrogate colt sat patiently in stalking position until the final turn, where he was roused by jockey Amadeo Perez at the quarter pole and assumed control over leader Heroic Move , who set early fractions of :22.60, :47.05, and 1:10.89. Abeliefinthislivin put his head down and added a margin of 2 1/2 lengths between his competition, stopping the clock in 2:03 for the 1 1/4 miles.
He paid $5.40 for the win.
Peter Redekop B.C.’s grade 3-winning colt now has earnings of $183,648 in eight starts with a record of 2-3-1. Bred by Merriebelle Stables in Kentucky, the colt out of Half A.P. was traded during the 2021 Keeneland September Sale to Alistair Roden Bloodstock for $70,000 from the Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services consignment.
Terry Hamilton and Murray Houses’ runner-up American Blaze put in a solid performance, getting up in the stretch under strong urging from Jose Asencio over the Larry Grieve-trained Accidental Hero , who finished gamely 1 1/2 lengths back in third.
Heroic Move, Sunbird , Tshiebwe , Mano Dura , Chase the Chaos , Flashin Aces , Altitude , Green Amazon , and Kauai Dan completed the order of finish.