Last-minute ride, first-class win: Bughenaim and Silawi win Canadian International​on October 4, 2025 at 11:12 pm

Faleh Bughenaim didn’t come to Woodbine to ride in the Canadian International, but a stroke of luck put him in the winner’s circle.

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The Qatari-born jockey actually came to Canada to ride another horse, The Strikin Viking in the Nearctic Stakes, where he was not a factor. However while here, he learned that jockey Danny Tudhope wasn’t able to take the ride on Silawi due to travel issues and he would get the assignment in the $750,000 race instead. It paid off in a gutsy wire-to-wire score.

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Sent off at odds of 10-1, Silawi went to the lead right from the gate in the 1 ½-mile turf classic. It seemed a bit quick early with a half-mile in 47 1/5 seconds. However, the five-year-old gelding just kept on going. In the stretch, he was easily able to hold off even-money favourite Nation’s Pride. He nearly got caught by Tawny Port but the wire came with his head still in front.

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“It was a lucky day for me,” Bughenaim said. “(Trainer) Hamad Al Jehani gave me a chance to ride Silawi.”

“I was ordered to go a nice pace with him But I feel he enjoyed the trip. I asked him to go from the last bend and he accepted it.”

Silawi has raced in France, England and Qatar with modest success. So it was a bit of a leap of faith for Al Jehani to bring him to North America.

“I felt from the beginning that if Silawi came to Woodbine, he would put a good performance,” Al Jehani said. “The trainer is not always right but today, I’m right.”

Silawi now has four wins in 26 starts.

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Also at Woodbine on Saturday, Breath Away got the better of Caitlinhergrtness late to win the $200,000 Dance Smartly Stakes. Ridden by Sahin Civaci, Breath Away settled near the back of the nine-horse field early. She continued near the back and in the stretch, forged a path in between horses to get to Caitlinhergrtness late to win by a half length.

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The five-year-old mare has five wins in 19 career starts and is deadly when she gets a chance to make a strong late kick.

“She has demonstrated it on many occasions.” Lee Vickers, assistant to trainer Miguel Clement said. “Today, she was given a great ride from the one hole, saved every inch of ground to conserve that energy late on so she can show that turn of foot.”

In the $250,000 Nearctic Stakes, No Nay Hudson took advantage of a collapsing early pace to post an 8-1 upset.

Ridden by Pablo Morales, No Nay Hudson sat at the back of the seven-horse field early in the five-furlong turf sprint, allowing for a speed duel between heavily-favoured Bring Theband Home and Western Whirl to run its course. In the stretch No Nay Hudson was taken to the outside and showed the best late kick to get the score over the second-placed Nobals.

Morales said the last-to-first move was not to plan.

“The inside horse broke out really hard and I got pinched,” Morales said. “So I had no other choice but to take a hold and go to plan B.
“I saw they were flying up front so I knew we had a shot to win this. I had a ton of horse. So he just out-finished them.”

A six-year-old gelding, No Nay Hudson now has five wins in 19 career tries for trainer Wesley Ward.

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