After tasting defeat in the Lady Liberty and Artiscape earlier this month, Warrawee Ubeaut ($5.90) put it all together with a 1:49.3 victory in the $290,000 Roses Are Red for older distaff pacers on Saturday night (Aug. 29) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

The four-year-old daughter of Sweet Lou was the widest of four strong early leavers, and she surged clear of Trillions Hanover (Sylvain Filion) just past a :26.3 first quarter. After assuming the top spot, driver Yannick Gingras kept Warrawee Ubeaut rolling to a :54.3 half, but indicated she was able to relax in the absence of pace pressure.

"I wasn't going to fight her," Gingras said of Warrawee Ubeaut's early blast of speed. "Once I got her to the front, she was able to relax a little bit."

On the far turn, So Much More (James MacDonald) worked gradually into third, but levelled off right as Warrawee Ubeaut opened up a 2-1/2 length lead on Trillions Hanover at three-quarters in 1:22.2. Gingras kept Warrawee Ubeaut to her task all the way to the line, where she held Trillions Hanover 1-1/4 lengths at bay. So Much More maintained third despite her late regression.

"She's used to winning, and there's no doubt in my mind that horses know when they win to when they don't," Gingras concluded when asked about Warrawee Ubeaut's early-season struggles. "It's a tough jump from three to four, but she's a big, strong horse, and she's just getting stronger."

Ron Burke trains Warrawee Ubeaut, who was won 21 times to date and has banked over $1.8 million for the Burke Racing Stable, Phil Collura, J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby and Weaver Bruscemi.

The Roses Are Red was one of the many major stakes events on the 2020 Pepsi North America Cup undercard. Be sure to check out the 2020 Pepsi North America Cup News Centre for all recaps and replays.