Promising 2-year-old colt True North Star took command from the start and never looked back Sunday at Woodbine, drawing off to an impressive 5-length maiden victory for West Point Thoroughbreds and trainer Mark Casse.
“That was impressive,” Casse said. “I thought his debut was solid, he ran in spots and stuck with it, so it was great to see him put it all together today. We’ll have lots of options with him going forward, especially being an Ontario-bred.”
The victory gave jockey Rafael Hernandez his 3,500th career win. West Point’s Joe Bianca called True North Star “a horse with massive potential,” noting that he was the partnership’s last 2-year-old to sell out this spring. “It goes to show that there’s plenty of opportunity to get in on nice horses with us even after you get past the initial rush of the sales.”
True North Star will now point for the $300,000 Coronation Futurity on November 28 at Woodbine, a nine-furlong race for Canadian-bred 2-year-olds on Tapeta that could be a first step toward next summer’s King’s Plate. Casse has been encouraged by the colt’s recent training on Tapeta, with the option of returning to turf if needed.
