Desert Encounter ran down favourite Thundering Blue in the closing yards to score in Saturday’s $800,000 Pattison Canadian International at Woodbine.

Chiefswood Stable’s homebred Tiz a Slam lasted on the lead in the $175,000 Nijinsky Stakes to win his second straight graded stakes at Woodbine Racetrack.

Tiz a Slam, trained by Roger Attfield and cleverly ridden by jockey Steven Bahen, takes Sunday’s Grade 3 Dominion Day Stakes at Woodbine.

Holy Helena, an impressive winner of the 1 1/8 mile Woodbine Oaks, in just her third career start, was even better when facing males in the Queen’s Plate.