Speightstown’s Southern Ring captures Ontario Fashion S. (G3)

In her first graded stakes start, Southern Ring came away with a well-earned three-quarter length victory in the $150,000 Ontario Fashion S. (G3) Sunday at Woodbine.

Southern Ring is Speightstown’s 75th lifetime stakes winner and his 35th lifetime graded stakes winner.

When Green Doctor and Veaisha sprinted to the front out of the gate, Southern Ring found a good spot in third about two lengths off the lead. The leading duo went through a half-mile in a speedy :44.47 when Southern Ring began to close the gap three paths off the fence. Veaisha was the last to fade, but wasn’t up to the task in the final sixteenth, when Southern Ring pulled clear to get the six furlongs in a very quick 1:08.65.

“She’s been a special filly all along,” said winning trainer Malcolm Pierce. “We were really aiming at the Royal North (a turf stakes) with her a month or so ago, but we just couldn’t run on that day. She trained into this race perfectly and she showed up today.”

A Sam-Son farm homebred, Southern Ring is now 4-1-0 in six starts, including a win in the Ruling Angel S., and has banked $216,829.

Pedigree Notes from the TDN

Multiple stakes winner Seeking the Ring (Seeking the Gold)’s last reported foal is a 3-year-old by Scat Daddy filly named Run to the Beat. A daughter of multiple graded stakes placed Radiant Ring (Halo), the 16-year-old mare is a full-sister to Canadian champion 3-year-old filly Catch the Ring, who is the dam of Canadian champion 2-year-old filly Catch the Thrill (A.P. Indy).