06/23/2026
by James Pacheco
The Canada Sail Grand Prix provided us with our fourth different event winner of the season, the Bonds Flying Roos SailGP Team were denied a fourth win in a row in the process, and two big outsiders secured second and third place in Sunday’s Final. Here’s what went down in Halifax this weekend.
Los Gallos Win, As Outsiders Complete the Podium
Los Gallos secured their first event win of the season at the Canada Sail Grand Prix to reward those who backed them as fourth-favorites to win the event at odds of 9.52.
The Bonds Flying Roos (4.17), Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team (5.88) and the returning Black Foils SailGP Team (6.06) were shorter than them in the betting coming into the Halifax event. But Diego Botin and his crew made the key moments count to secure a priceless win that has put them back into second spot in the standings of the Rolex SailGP Championship.
In winning Sunday’s Final, they denied the Artemis SailGP Team, who finished as runners up, their first-ever win in SailGP in their debut season. A third member of the first-ever four-boat SailGP Final – Explora Swiss – were also searching for their maiden win in SailGP, so were another team to have been left wondering what might have been, as they finished third.
Still, there were decent payouts for those who backed those two for a podium finish here in Canada pre-event.
The Swiss were available at 18.18 to make the Final, while the Swedes were 8.0. A win for the former would have resulted in a payout to rival the one that followed the United States SailGP Team’s win at the KPMG Sydney Sail Grand Prix, where the Americans won at pre-event odds of 50.0; the Swiss were available at 40.0 before the off for this one.
A Weekend Botin Won’t Forget Soon
All in all, this was a weekend for Botin to remember.
Highlights included a contender for the start of the season as he raced through a packed start line in Group A’s first race on Sunday, never giving up that early lead and winning the fleet race pretty comfortably.
Then it was clutch stuff in the second heat of the day when he just about held on to the fourth place that he knew would secure him a place in the Final by a matter of meters, with the ROCKWOOL Racing SailGP Team closing in on them by the second.
There was more world-class racing from Botin in the final, too, as he got the better of a two-way tussle with Artemis. Los Gallos took the lead early on, Artemis stole it from them on leg five and Botin regained it on leg six and didn’t let go of it, as they were first past the post for a famous win.
Bonds Flying Roos Miss Out On Four In A Row But Are Still Top Of the Standings
Los Gallos’ win has seen them overtake Emirates GBR into second spot in the Championship standings on 44 points, also overtaking the Americans in the process, with the Spanish ahead of Dylan Fletcher and his team on a technicality.
That’s still sixteen points off the Bonds Flying Roos, who finished fourth in this weekend’s Final.
That, of course, means their unprecedented sequence of three event wins in a row came to an end. It was a reminder that in SailGP, no team is unbeatable in an incredibly competitive field, and that, in addition to beating everyone else, teams must constantly adapt to changing conditions.
And there were some tough conditions in Halifax this weekend to deal with. So much so that at one stage the U.S SailGP Team’s driver Taylor Canfield was heard over onboard communications saying, “I’ve got no grip whatsoever”.
But when all is said and done, though he didn’t win this weekend, it’s Tom Slingsby and his Bonds Flying Roos who do have a grip on the Championship despite Los Gallos clawing a few points back.
The Australians’ price remains virtually unchanged at 2.44 to win this season, but Los Gallos are right back in it at 4.3, with the Brits splitting the two at odds of 3.17.
Great to Have the Black Foils Back
Lastly, a word on the Black Foils, finally back after a long absence as their F50 was being repaired following a huge crash earlier in the season.
Though they missed out on Sunday’s Final by a matter of meters in what could have resulted in a fairytale win in their return to competition, they showed few signs of rustiness, never finishing any lower than fourth in a seven-boat field in Group A, across four races.
It’s too late for a bid at the Championship after missing out on so many points when they were absent from competition, but it’s certainly good to have them back.