It was a Dark N Stormy featured race Wednesday at Ajax Downs

Stamping himself as a horse with a very bright future, 3 year-old Dark N Stormy sped away from a classy field of older horses in the featured QROOI Overnight Distance Series dash at 440-yards on a sunny afternoon at Ajax Downs Wednesday.

Owned by Craig Spada and trained by Lauren Spada, Dark N Stormy quickly cleared his four rivals from post position two and powered to a one-length victory in the $12,733 race in a fast time of 21.880 for a career best 99 speed index. The 2021 Horse of the Year First Cold Wave finished a game second with Jess Carolinas Award third.

It was the third official win for Dark N Stormy from nine starts but the quirky colt had actually crossed the finish line on top in his last five races, only to be disqualified from two of them. The fast bay colt is a Louisiana bred by Carters Cartel, bred by Spring Hill Farm.

“We were hoping for a clean win, without trouble,” said winning rider Alexis Sanchez. “He has all the talent and the heart.”

Ajax Downs hosted a large event on Wednesday for the retirees of Unifor Local 222 and several hundred took in the seven-race card.

Racing continues at Ajax Downs on Sept. 27 with a first race post race of 12:55. For all the latest news and race dates, visit www.ajaxdowns.com.

With files from Jennifer Morrison