Mansetti passed his first two-turn test on his journey to the August 16 King’s Plate with a workmanlike score in the Marine Stakes (G3) on a Canada Day celebration card of racing at Woodbine, June 28.
The Marine was one of five graded stakes races on a warm but very windy day. Wind speeds of 40 km were clocked from 3 p.m. through to the last race while wind gusts got up to almost 50 km. Those conditions helped virtually every horse racing on Saturday win from gate to wire.
The bay colt, owned by Al and Bill Ulwelling of Minnesota, stalked the front-running filly War Signal early in the 1 1/16 mile race on Tapeta under jockey Pietro Moran. The Kevin Attard trained three-year-old was coming off a messy outing in the seven furlong Queenston Stakes where his regular rider Leo Salles lost his irons out of the gate. In his previous race, Mansetti (Collected) won the Woodstock Stakes at six furlongs with an 86 Beyer Speed Figure.
Tracking along behind Mansetti was the most intriguing starter in the Marine field, SCORCHING, coming off an eight-month layoff for owners Paul Braverman and Timothy Pinch.
Scorching, who spent almost seven months in a stall this winter due to injury, was very eager under Dylan Davis, tugging his rider up the rail into the backstretch. Eventually the son of Mo Town obliged to his rider’s wishes to settle, and he raced on the rail, just over a length behind Mansetti. The early pace fractions were 24.05 and a soft 48.85. Race favourite Megalodon was trying to make a bid three wide and stakes winner Church and State was under a hard drive while four wide.
Mansetti got first jump to the lead when War Signal faded and jockey Davis angled Scorching out, and the smooth-striding colt gave a good chase to Mansetti to the finish, but was just one length short.
The final time was 1:45.
In addition to War Signal, who wound up sixth, the other two Plate eligibles, Sedburys Ghost and Watsonville Red, were non-factors.
It is not certain if either Mansetti or Scorching will test the Plate Trial on July 20 and then the Plate, or just train into the Plate.
Mansetti was bought by the Ulwellings for $40,000 (S) from the Ocala Breeders’ Sales April Juvenile auction last spring.
The colt was foaled at Anderson Farms in St. Thomas and bred by Jim Rome’s Jungle Racing, LLC.
MANSETTI PEDIGREE: COLLECTED, by City Zip, won over $2.9 million and 8 races from 15 starts and he had speed and stamina. Collected won the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at 1 1/4 miles, the Grade 2 California, the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, among other races. He is a sire of milers and a daughter, Taxed, won the Grade 1 Black Eyed Susan Stakes.
Mansetti’s dam, Gidget Girl, never raced, but is out of the Brazilian SURFER GIRL, who was Group 1 placed in her home country before she joined Rome’s stable. Surfer Girl was placed three times for Rome before she was retired. Gidget Girl is one of two known foals for Surfer Girl and neither raced.
Gidget Girl is the dam of STRAIGHT UP G, who won the King Glorious Stakes at one mile at Los Alamitos and the Mine That Bird Derby at 1 1/16 miles at Sunland Park. Gidget Girl’s two other foals to race are winners and she has a California-bred two-year-old by Maxfield named Dark Blue.
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