Ice Bear Claws Way to WIre in Eclipse Stakes

The 54th running of the Grade III Eclipse Stakes came to an enthralling end as Mac Benson trainee, Ice Bear, and rider Chantal Sutherland would eke out a neck victory in the one mile and one-sixteenth, $150,000 event.

The second feature race on the Saturday card at Woodbine Racetrack would see a fantastic finish to the wire, as Ice Bear, the 2-1 post time favorite would get by on the inside rail, driving to victory. The race started off with 40-1 shot Judith's Wild Rush dictating the pace, taking a lenghty lead on the rest of the field. As the old horse would continue to set fractions on the front end, Ice Bear would sit back of Approval Rating and Equitable in fourth positioin, roughly six lengths off the pace, down the backstertch. As Sutherland waited for the right moment, Approval Rating began making his run at Judith's Wild Rush around the half-mile pole. Around the final turn Judith's Wild rush would be swallowed up by the field, leaving Approval Rating in the lead with Equitable a close second and Ice Bear making his bid in third, all the while Marchfield started making a run for the front runners way of the pace, second to last. At the top of the stretch Ice Bear would be dropped in on the rail by Sutherland, hard ridden chasing down Approval Rating and at the same time Marchfield had come wide around the field into contention looking to pass all his rivals down the home stretch. Approval Rating would grudgingly give way at the sixteenth-pole to Ice Bear on his inside and watch Marchfield come up on his right on the outside as all three would come to the wire roughly a length apart. Ice Bear would get to the wire a neck in front of the surging Marchfield while Approval Rating would finish third one and a quarter-lengths back. Ice Bear would win in a final time of 1:43.38, capturing the sixty-percent share.

Rider Chantal Sutherland is quick to give credit to trainer Mac Benson and her horse, "Mac just said ride how it comes out, which is really cool. He(Ice Bear) settled really nice for me into the backside and around the three-eighths pole, I saw Eurico position himself outside, so the race kinda opened up for me with a hole on the inside, so I went inside and I could see that Garcia was tailing off leaving a little hole that I had to get through. Ice Bear was totally geared up and whatever I wanted he gave me. He went through on the rail with a great turn of foot, he has a ton of pump and so much heart, honestly he's just a privilege to ride and it's an honor to ride for Mac."

For full results to the 54th running of the Grade III Eclipse Stakes click here: http://www.equibase.com/static/chart/pdf/WO060609CAN8.pdf