Quadruple turned an improving campaign into a breakthrough Saturday at Woodbine, closing between rivals to upset the Grade 3 Ontario Fashion Stakes and give trainer Josie Carroll another graded winner. The 5-year-old mare returned $34.30 and covered six furlongs in 1:09.42, defeating Ultimate Authority by 2 3/4 lengths under Ryan Munger. Daily Racing Form's race report described the victory as Quadruple's first stakes win.
Quadruple was not simply the beneficiary of a pace collapse. Munger kept her settled in midpack, saved ground around the turn and found a seam early in the stretch before she surged clear. That tactical trip mattered in a race where the favorite Creed's Gold failed to deliver, and it reinforced the impression that Quadruple has become more manageable since arriving in Carroll's care. “From the first time I sat on her to now, I have seen significant changes,” Munger told Daily Racing Form.
Carroll said Mark Dodson purchased Quadruple in Europe and sent her first to Florida before the mare moved north. Her recent form had been trending in the right direction, including a runner-up finish at Woodbine last month, and the Ontario Fashion supplied the black-type result that progression had been pointing toward. The win also brought $105,000 to her connections and established six furlongs as a productive target after earlier success at longer distances.
The day's most striking raw performance came at Laurel Park, where Sometime won a six-furlong claiming race by five lengths for trainer Phillip Capuano and apprentice Leandro Briceno. The 3-year-old Take Charge Indy colt was sent off among the favorites and improved his record to four wins from 17 starts. Pre-race analysis from The Racing Biz noted that Sometime had already matched a career-best Brisnet figure in his previous start, making the latest decisive score a logical continuation rather than a completely isolated effort.
Carc Brothers supplied another important form line at Belmont, remaining unbeaten in four starts by taking the 1 1/2-mile Cross Border starter allowance for Rob Atras and Manuel Franco. The gelding had already won at distances from 1 1/16 miles to 1 3/16 miles, and Atras entered Saturday's race specifically to test his ability to handle more ground, according to Daily Racing Form's preview. He passed that test, while Franco and Atras were both among Belmont's leading connections during the meet.
Together, the three performances offered different handicapping signals. Quadruple produced the most consequential result because a graded-stakes win changes the mare's placement options, while Carc Brothers demonstrated unusual reliability for a starter-allowance horse and Sometime showed that his recent improvement can translate into a powerful speed-figure effort. Quadruple is the one to follow most closely: a graded winner who is reportedly still thriving, and whose closing style should give Carroll flexibility when the next stakes opportunity appears.
