Essence Hit Man’s front-running style proved too much once again for his foes as he rolled to a 3/4-length victory in Woodbine’s $168,000 Vigil S. (G3) on Sunday afternoon. The 5-year-old son of Speightstown is undefeated in two starts this year and has won three stakes in as many starts.
His go-for-it style is no secret, but the Canadian bred chestnut was left to his own devices in the early stages. Though he was a length and a half clear after a quarter mile, the pace was swift: :22.56. He kept pouring it on around the turn and into the stretch, opening three lengths on the field. Jesse Campbell kept his mount to the task in the late stages, and the outcome was never really in doubt.
“He was better loading, he was better in the gate and he was able to get off to a better start,” said Campbell, who has been aboard for the three-race win streak than began with last year’s Grade 3 Kennedy Road in November. “He’s a tired boy today. He knows where that wire is at. He ran hard.”
Last year’s Canadian champion sprinter, Essence Hit Man completed the seven furlongs in 1:22.28 on the synthetic surface for career stakes victory number seven. He has now earned $946,722 for Audre Cappuccitti, who bred, owns, and trains her stable star.
