TORONTO, Canada (CMC) — Veteran Patrick Husbands barely got 8-1 choice Jennifer Lynnette up to beat pace-setter Kasuga in a photo finish to capture the Grade 3 $125,000 Royal North Stakes at Woodbine here Saturday.

Kasuga, ridden by Jesse Campbell, seemed to have the six-furlong co-feature sewn up in the stretch before Barbadian Husbands brought the four-year-old bay filly with searing late run to win by a head in one minute, 8.17 seconds.

“Looking at the race, it looked like a pretty tough race in terms of my horse,” said Husbands.

“I just said the only way I feel like I can win is just wait and give her one run. I let the field go, then she picked it up and she got to the outside and just started to run.”

The victory was the third this year for the Mark Casse-trained filly and took her winnings to just shy of quarter-million dollars from 11 career starts.

Kasuga broke well to produce splits of 22.57 for the quarter and 44.85 for the half-mile as Code Warrior and favourite Skylander Girl chased, with Husbands settling Jennifer Lynette off the pace one from last in the eight-horse field.

Entering the stretch, Kasuga had opened up a four-length lead and looked a sure bet for the win with her rivals tiring and Jennifer Lynette seemingly out of the running on the outside.

But Husbands launched a stirring rally at the three-eighths pole, steadily hauling in Kasuga to nail her on the wire.