$530,000 Maple Leaf Trot sees record-breaking return for Alrajah One IT

Alrajah One IT (Maharajah) made history on Saturday (Sep. 2) at Woodbine Mohawk Park as he returned from a year-long layoff to win the $530,000 Maple Leaf Trot and break the Canadian record for an aged trotting stallion.

Dexter Dunn held the seven-year-old in fifth with Its Academic (Dave Miller), riding a five-race win streak, showing the way. The latter trotted the first-half panels in :27 and :55.1, and Venerate (Brian Sears) made the first move as the field approached the last turn.

Alrajah One IT moved into Venerate’s draft and raced past three-quarters in 1:23 in a second-over position. Its Academic neutralized Venerate, but Alrajah One IT took full flight as they entered the last eighth of a mile and closed down the leader. Alrajah One IT steamrolled into deep-stretch, and Its Academic could resist no more as the Italian-bred stallion soared by him to win the classic Canadian race in 1:50.2 by one-and-a-half lengths.

Its Academic was second-best. Rattle My Cage (Yannick Gingras) closed for third.

“He’s some kind of horse, isn’t he?” said Dunn. “I fell in love with him last year when I sat behind him, and he did amazing things.

“He’s a little bit like last year, he doesn’t really give you a feel on the helmet and when you move him off the helmet, he just takes off. He shows unbelievable speed for a trotter, turn-of-foot-wise. I was really happy with where I got away – followed the perfect horse, got a perfect trip into the race, and once I moved him off the helmet, he was gone.”

ALRAJAH ONE IT REPLAY

With the mile, Alrajah One It became the fastest male trotter in Canadian history and tied the overall record. He shaved a fifth-of-a-second off miles by King Of The North in last year’s Breeders Crown and Logan Park earlier this season. Atlanta and he now jointly hold the title of quickest trotting mile on Canadian soil; the mare set her 1:50.2 mile in the 2019 Armbro Flight. Alrajah One IT’s mile was also a stakes record for the Maple Leaf Trot.

Alrajah One IT’s comeback victory makes him perfect in four starts in North America. The stallion won all three starts in Grand Circuit stakes last year, all in sub-1:51 times, before a suspensory injury forced an early end to his season. The Italian stallion won 13 races and earned $1.2 million in Europe before crossing the pond last season for Scurderia My Horse Inc. Ake Svanstedt trains him and conditioned him to wins in the Crawford Farms, Sprit of Massachusetts Trot, and Cashman Memorial last year.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink