Turallure Victorious in Woodbine Mile
Turallure, son of Canadian Triple Crown winner Wando, set the field alight on Sunday, 18 September 2011, as he stormed across the finish line to win the Ricoh Woodbine Mile. It was an amazing victory for trainer Charles Lopresti, as this was the New Yorker’s first venture into Canada. The win has also secured Turallure a place in the prestigious Breeders’ Cup on 5 November 2011.
The 4-year-old colt entered the starting gates at Woodbine along with eleven other competitors, with the race favorite being Courageous Cat. It was a challenging battle for victory as Turallure and his jockey, Julien Leparoux, got stuck in traffic along the rail. Talented jockey Leparoux made a decision that changed the race for Turallure, angling the horse out by about six or seven paths. This gave Turallure the space he needed to charge forward. Despite Courageous Cat, ridden by Patrick Valenzuela, leading by a length, Turallure managed to step it up a notch and win the race by a neck. Turallure was followed home by Courageous Cat, Right One, Side Glance, Riding the River, Dance and Dance, Court Vision, Hollinger, Grand Adventure, Forte Dei Marmi, Kara’s Orientation and Woodbourne.
The Woodbine Mile was a historic event for all in the Turallure camp. On Sunday, Turallure become Wando’s first son to win a Grade One event. The $600,000 victory brings Turallure’s career wins to about $900,000, while making this his third win in six starts for the season. It was also Leparoux’s first career Mile victory, and owner, Donna Arnold’s first Grade One stakes win. Interestingly, the handle reached a record for a Woodbine Mile card at $6,064,189.
Turallure was bred by Donna Arnold, who is also his owner. She was introduced to racing at Hollywood Park by her late husband Danny Arnold, a well-known television and film producer. Donna Arnold, a former member of the Tennessee Ernie Ford Show, decided to breed her mare with Wando (who was standing at Lane’s End Farm) after seeing an ad for him. Turallure has certainly made her proud. Arnold has confirmed without a doubt that they will be heading to the Breeders’ Cup Mile where he is likely to race against Goldikova and Courageous Cat.
