Scorching!
That word doesn’t just describe the weather in southern Ontario, but also how fast the two-year-old colt SCORCHING ran as he crushed yearling sale graduates in the $200,000 Simcoe Stakes at Woodbine on August 25. The yearling sales stakes are held annually before the CTHS Ontario Yearling Sale which is on Wednesday this week at 11 a.m.
Scorching, making his second career start after a strong second-place finish behind whiz-kid Cut the Dust, zoomed to the lead and kept going under Patrick Husbands to win the 6 1/2 furlong race on Tapeta by 5 lengths in the quick time of 1:17.57 – an 80 Beyer Speed Figure.
Owned by Americans Paul Braverman and Timothy Pinch, who bought the colt at last year’s CTHS sale for $120,000 on the advice of former trainer Reade Baker, Scorching is trained by John Charalambous.
“I think John [Charalambous] did a fabulous job getting him ready,” said Braverman. “I think he [Scorching] is getting better with every race, and we were hoping for a good effort today.”
Bred by Huntington Stud Farm Corp in Kleinburg, Scorching is by Mo Town from Samsal by Consolidator. There is a half-sister to Scorching in the sale by Take Charge Indy. Samsal is the dam of stakes-placed Keep Grinding and four other winners.
Scorching was a hot commodity on the tote board, paying just $6 for the win.
The Muskoka Stakes was a front-running romp for SOUPER SUPREME, a half-sister to King’s Plate winner Paramount Prince and yet another stakes winner bred by Ericka Rusnak. The Souper Speedy filly, purchased by Mike Langlois and Gary Barber from last year’s sale for $100,000, won her maiden second time out and won the Muskoka by 4 1/4 lengths under Patrick Husbands in 1:18.20. She earned a 71 Beyer Figure.
Mark Casse trains Souper Supreme who has a half-sibling by Silent Name (Jpn) in the sale. Langlois said he was attending the sale in Wednesday and will confer with Casse.
Dr. Brian Van Arem’s homebred JUNIOR HOT SHOT, whom he bought back for $55,000 from the 2022 CTHS Ontario yearling sale, won his first stakes race in the Elgin, worth $100,000. Trained by John Ross, Junior Hot Shot is by Souper Speedy – Executive Dreamer by Bold Executive. He held off a closing Yacht Boy to win by 3/4 of a length in 1:24.35 for a 77 Beyer Figure.
The Algoma Stakes went to Mike Coll’s JUST FOLLOW ME, by Old Forester – Marilyn’s Last Love by One Way Love. Bred by John Carey and trained by Bill Tharrenos, Just Follow Me was back on Tapeta and she ran from well off the pace under Emma-Jayne Wilson to win in the nick of time in 1:24.78 for a 71 Beyer.
There is a full brother to Just Follow Me in the sale.
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