Arzak rocketed away from the field at the top of the Woodbine stretch to win the $106,400 Thorncliffe S. by 3 ¼-lengths in track record time.

The 4-year-old colt, who was making his 2022 debut, is the sixth stakes winner this year for Not This Time, who leads all Third-Crop sires in nearly every category and has three potential Kentucky Derby (G1) starters in Epicenter, Simplification and In Due Time.

Arzak broke well and was in a three-way battle for the lead from the outset. He was never more than a length from the front at any point while three-wide on the turn. He stuck his head in front just inside the quarter pole, then quickly separated himself from the field to win going away.

The final time of 1:02.36 established the new track record for 5 ½ furlongs on the Woodbine main track.

“I already talked with (trainer Michael Trombetta),” said jockey Kazushi Kimura. “(Last year) a couple of times he had traffic trouble. I just made sure to warm him up well. I just kept him clear, and I already knew that number six (Spite Store) had speed, so I just sat beside him.”

Arzak races for the Sonata Stable and is 4-1-1 in 12 starts, with earnings of $183,669. The chestnut colt, who won last year’s Tom Ridge S., was bred in Kentucky by John Oxley.