God Of Love Gives Cupid Stakes Double

Cupid struck twice over the weekend when God Of Love (2c Cupid x No Wonder, by Three Wonders) gave him his second stakes winner as a sire in less than 24 hours with a victory in the Cup and Saucer Stakes.

Breaking his maiden in the race, the Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber-owned colt was switching to turf from the synthetic surface and proved it was the right move by trainer Mark Casse.

Also stretching out to 1 1/16 miles after sprinting on debut, God Of Love settled in the back of the field a few paths off the rail as they raced down the backstretch. As they exited the sweeping Woodbine turn, the colt was piloted through a hole on the outside of the majority of the track to give him room to make his run.

The colt showed off an impressive kick to make it look like the others were standing still as he took over the lead in the final sixteenth to win by 1 ¾ length with only two others in the field of 11 within five lengths of him at the line.

“He can go on both (surfaces). He just needs to go longer. The longer he goes, the better he’s going to go,” said jockey Rafael Hernandez.

A $100,000 2-year-old purchase by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners earlier this year, the colt was bred by William Graham in Ontario.

He is out of the four-time winner No Wonder, who has also produced stakes winner Muskoka Wonder from her five winners from five to race. The mare is a half-sister to dual Grade I winner Weemissfrankie and two other stakes placers with stakes winners under all three of God Of Love’s first three dams.

In addition to being his second stakes winner and third stakes performer, God Of Love is the ninth winner for his sire.