Maritime star Woodmere Stealdeal created a buzz all through 2020 as he extended his unbeaten record, and that buzz recently reached the mainstream national airwaves.

A now three-year-old gelded son of Steelhead Hanover-Very Ideal Hanover, Woodmere Stealdeal progressed through the stakes season in Atlantic Canada to stay undefeated in 13 starts, earning $68,646 with wins including the Atlantic Breeders Crown, Joe O’Brien Memorial and the Maritime Breeders Championship. Now trainer Danny Romo is readying his star on the grounds of Truro Raceway to pick up where he left off with his upcoming sophomore season.

“He’s a real smart horse, you know? And he’s got lots of speed, so that’s why I like him,” Romo, who trains the gelding for owners Kevin Dorey and Bob Sumarah, told CBC. “He went as fast as he wanted to go. Any time we train him, he goes as fast as we want him to go. And he felt like he wanted to do it.”

Making his career debut last July, Woodmere Stealdeal romped by eight lengths in a sires stakes event at Summerside Raceway, convincing co-owner Bob Sumarah that the horse had talent.

“After the first race he looked fantastic,” said Sumarah.

As a two-year-old, Woodmere Stealdeal raced at five different tracks and set five different track records, something co-owner Kevin Dorey can’t recall any two-year-old accomplishing on the east coast.

“Oh it’s special,” Dorey said. “I don’t know if it will ever be repeated. Time will tell, but he’s a fast, fast horse and he loves to pass horses.”

“I had had some good colts before; I had one that had 28 straight wins,” said Romo referencing Firms Phantom. “When you get a good horse, it's more pressure with a good horse than it is with a poor one.”

Combined, Woodmere Stealdeal won by 43 lengths in his 13 starts and took a mark of 1:54.1 at Charlottetown Driving Park, set on Oct. 11 in the $21,000 Atlantic Breeders Crown Final.

Find the CBC feature on Woodmere Stealdeal below: