In a desperate run to the finish, 6-1 shot Argos (Nyquist) just outlasted a furious late charge from European invader and 'TDN Rising Star' Wild Desert (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) to steal the bet365 Summer Stakes at Woodbine, a Win and You're In race for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar.
A debut winner sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs at Ellis Park for trainer Kevin Attard, who earned his first Summer win since he legged up Gary Stevens aboard El Soprano (El Prado {Ire}) in 2001, Argos then shipped to Woodbine where he ran third in the bet35 Soaring Free Stakes behind two familiar rivals Aug. 16. Both runners who finished ahead of him that day, fellow 'Rising Star' Two Out Hero (War Front) and Casson (Caravaggio) lined up against him again Saturday.
Trying the mile for the first time, the rail-drawn runner got away cleanly to be third past the wire the first time by with stablemate Marcus J (Hard Spun) keen to go on with it in front of Two Out Hero. A calvary charge into the first turn saw Argos shuffled back on the fence but he found a comfortable spot under Flavien Prat as the frontrunners sorted themselves out through fractions of :23.26 and 48.14. 8-5 race favorite Wild Desert not only lacked speed but then was rank and in the center of the track into the clubhouse turn which saw him whip-in the field up the backstretch for William Buick.
Several lengths ahead of that favorite, it was Argos who got first jump from mid pack around the far turn Wild Desert was left with too much to do when the sprint for home started. Fanned out four wide at the furlong pole with the favorite still with eight horses to outrun, Argos kicked home outside of Two Out Hero who was game on the fence. Wild Desert joined the fray with a last-gasp effort and the trio threw down in the final sixteenth with Argos denying Wild Desert narrowly.
“I honestly, really loved the way he ran last time,” said Prat. “I thought, you know, the last quarter was quite fast, and I don't think it was the right setup for him. And obviously today, we went on the inner [turf] and we had a better draw and a bit more experience and seasoning. And it was a good run.”
“My second horse (Caltech) raced in the Breeders Cup in 1989–it's been a long time since then, and now, my second one,” said winning owner David Romanik. “This horse breezed at OBS in :30.4 and the only other horse I've ever owned who did that ran in the Breeders' Cup in 1989, so thought I had something special. We ended up buying him back at the sale because he didn't reach the price we wanted. But we thought he was this caliber.”
Pedigree Note:
Argos is the 10th Grade I winner for Nyquist who continues to shoulder the legacy of his own late sire, Uncle Mo. Athenian, a $30,000 KEENOV grad from 2023, was a stakes winner herself in Germany and is a half-sister to SW/MGSP Fadhayyil (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) who has further produced Australian GSW Turaath (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Of Athenian's four winners from six to race, Argos is the flag bearer though she is also responsible for MSP Skole (Oasis Dream{GB}). Her yearling Olympiad filly brought $30,000 from Klesko Farm last week at Keeneland September and she is due back to Bucchero for 2026 after failing to report a pregnancy to him last year.
Saturday, Woodbine
BET365 SUMMER S.-GI, C$502,000, Woodbine, 9-13, 2yo, 1mT, 1:36.90, fm.
1–ARGOS, 122, c, 2, by Nyquist
1st Dam: Athenian (Ire) (SW-Ger), by Acclamation (GB)
2nd Dam: Ziria (Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
3rd Dam: Surprise Visitor (Ire), by Be My Guest
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. ($10,000 Ylg '24 FTKJUL; $165,000 2yo '25 OBSMAR). O-David S Romanik; B-Green Lantern Stables, LLC (KY); T-Riley Mott; J-Flavien Prat. C$300,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-1, $287,018. Werk Nick Rating: F (1 SW). Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Wild Desert (Ire), 122, c, 2, Too Darn Hot (GB)–Winters Moon (Ire), by New Approach (Ire). 'TDN Rising Star' 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Godolphin LLC (IRE); T-Charles Appleby. C$100,000.
3–Two Out Hero, 122, c, 2, War Front–Song River, by Liam's Map. ($240,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP). 'TDN Rising Star' 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O-Gold Square LLC; B-Corser Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Kevin Attard. C$50,000.
Margins: HD, 1, HF. Odds: 6.85, 1.65, 3.55.
Also Ran: Teddy's Rocket, Thesecretadversary (Ire), Casson, Bill of Ice, Rude Procedure, Timeframe, Marcus J. Scratched: Jupiter, Military Time. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
ARGOS IS INTO THE @BreedersCup!
WHAT. A. FINISH AT THE SUMMER STAKES. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/OEz4MAdY5r
— Woodbine Racetrack (@WoodbineTB) September 13, 2025
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