Hammerhead comes up huge in Grade 3 Valedictory

December 6, 2025

TORONTO, December 6, 2025 – Hammerhead, under Daisuke Fukumoto, recorded his first stakes score courtesy of a sharp showing in the $150,000 bet365 Valedictory (G3), for 3-year-olds and up, Saturday at Woodbine.

Passing Game, making his first appearance at Woodbine, broke running and was hustled to the lead in the 1 ½-mile main track test on a crisp evening at the Toronto oval.

The 4-year-old gelding held a two-length advantage over Cool Kiss through an opening quarter reached in :25.69, followed by Lost Ark and Eff Thirty Five, while Hammerhead held down fifth in the field of nine.

Passing Game continued to show the way and was three lengths clear of Cool Kiss through a half in :51.83, with Hammerhead still taking up residence in fifth.

Fukumoto gave Hammerhead, third choice in the betting, his cue just after the three-quarters mark and the 3-year-old dark bay darted to the front as Passing Game looked to match strides with the new leader.

The Kevin Attard trainee was running confidently on top after a mile in 1:45.18, while a host of others were left with plenty of work to reel in their freewheeling rival.

Still full of energy straightening for home, Hammerhead looked to put away his pursuers in early stretch. Ahead by two lengths at Robert Geller’s stretch call, the colt crossed the line a one-length winner in a time of 2:34.40. His stablemate, Jokestar, rallied for second, while Passing Game and Eff Thirty Five dead-heated for third. Zabo, Attard’s third entrant, was seventh.

"I wanted to stay behind the horse, so that he's more relaxed, but he actually relaxed well,” said Fukumoto. “So, I thought he was relaxed enough. I just let him go comfortably. He's nice horse and he loves the distance.”

It was the second career victory (2-4-2 from 13 starts) for the son of War Front out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Figarella’s Queen, who arrived at the Valedictory off a second over 1 3/8 miles on the inner turf on October 25.

“We always thought that those kinds of marathon type races would be up his alley,” said Attard, who won the 2015 running with Melmich and the 2018 and 2019 editions of the race with Pumpkin Rumble. “Unfortunately, things never went well for him, in the sense that every time we were in a spot we thought we could win, it didn't pan out. It's hard to tackle, on some of those bigger horses, those types of races, without a little confidence, right? So, there was a little bit of a delay getting there."

Hammerhead debuted on August 17, 2024, finishing sixth in a 1 1/16-mile race over the Saratoga inner turf and broke his maiden in his third start in October of that year courtesy of a 4 ¼-length victory at one mile over the Woodbine inner turf.

Bred in Kentucky by Glen Hill Farm, Hammerhead is owned by Gold Square LLC. Hopeton Francis is the groom.

He was a $225,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland Association September Yearling Sale.

Hammerhead paid $9.70 for today’s win.

Chris Lomon, Woodbine