Half of the guys and gals on the Canadian Thoroughbred list of Top 15 Queen’s Plate/Woodbine Oaks contenders are in action this weekend at Woodbine (one at Belmont Park) as the two biggest races for Canadian bred 3-year-olds draw nearer.
The Plate is August 22 while the Oaks is three weeks earlier on August 1.
Trainers have no doubt been in a ‘wait and then a hurry-up’ position with their horses aiming for stakes races and big events coming up this summer at Woodbine. Training began March 1 at the track but racing started almost two months later and now, picking out the right races to get to the big dances has been crucial, and tricky.
Saturday features the fillies in two stakes races, the Grade 3 Selene at 1 1/16 miles, an open race, and the Fury Stakes, at 7 furlongs, for Canadian-breds. The gals in the Fury who go to the Oaks will have to make the jump from a long sprint to nine furlongs in three weeks.
Trainer Martin Drexler has cross-entered Oaks contender IL MALOCCHIO in both the Selene and Fury, pondering if he should start Franco Meli’s Souper Speedy filly against her own kind in the shorter Fury, or meet US breds and one other Canadian bred, Munnyfor Ro, in the Selene.
Il Malocchio is very fit as she has been going all winter. Meli sent his homebred, who won last year’s Victorian Queen Stakes on turf and was second in the Princess Elizabeth on Tapeta, to trainer Ken McPeek in New Orleans in the winter.
She then went to Florida where she was third to Curlin’s Catch (who is in the Fury) in the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay. She then went back to Fair Grounds where she was seventh, beaten 21 lengths, in the Fair Grounds Oak (G2) before traveling to Keeneland where she ran second in a nine-furlong allowance race.
She has been back at Woodbine for about a month and has logged three workouts. Kazushi Kimura is named to ride Ill Malocchio in the Selene but Patrick Husbands is named for the Fury.
In the Seleme, Il Malocchio would face a tough favourite in the Kentucky bred GOTE GO, owned and bred by Bill Harrigan of Miacomet Farm in Kentucky. Trained by Roger Attfield. Gote Go (Street Boss) just won a 1 1/16 mile turf allowance at Churchill Downs with an 80 Beyer Figure. She had won her maiden on the Tapeta in November.
MUNNYFOR RO, bred by Daybar LTD in Ontario, is a Munnings filly owned by Raroma Stables and trained by Kevin Attard who recently got the filly from trainer Brian Lunch. Munnyfor Ro won her maiden at the Oaks distance, 1 1/8 miles, with a 75 Beyer Figure and was recently third in an allowance race and sixth in the Grade 3 Regeret Stakes.
Should Il Malocchio cut back one one-turn for the Fury Stakes, she would meet up with the unbeaten speedster LORENA (Souper Speedy), who ran an 81 Beyer Figure when winning a 6 1/2 furlong allowance in her season debut June 19 for trainer Stuart Simon, who co-owns with former jockey Gerry Olguin and owners Brent and Russ McLellan. Also in the field is the Mark Casse trainee CURLIN’S CATCH (Curlin), who won the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay before a pair of 5th place finishers in the Grade 2 Davona Dale and Grade 1 Ashland Stakes. Casse is not sure his filly likes the Tapeta surface as much as dirt (she was 5th in the Princess Elizabeth behind Il Malocchio).
Of the 26 current nominations to the Oaks, only 11 have won races to this point with Chiefdwood Stables’ THIRD DRAFT looking like the top contender should she ship in to Woodbine for the race.
FIELD FOR THE $150,000 GRADE 3 SELENE
POST – HORSE – JOCKEY – TRAINER
1 – Gote Go – Steven Bahen – Roger Attfield
2 – California Lily – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse
3 – Our Flash Drive – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
4 – Il Malocchio – Kazushi Kimura – Martin Drexler – Canadian bred
5 – Sweet Souper Sweet – Luis Contreras – Michael Trombetta
6 – Danger – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Mark Casse
7 – Munnyfor Ro – Justin Stein – Kevin Attard – Canadian bred
FIELD FOR THE $125,000 FURY
POST – HORSE – JOCKEY – TRAINER
1 – Bodacious Miss – Justin Stein – Steve Owens
2 – Owen’s Tour Guide – Ademar Santos – William Armata
3 – Il Malocchio – Patrick Husbands – Martin Drexler
4 – Curlin’s Catch – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse
5 – Lorena – Gary Boulager – Stuart Simon
6 – El Bayern – Sheena Ryan – Mike Mattine
7 – Astrological – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Mark Casse
On SUNDAY, July 11, the boys will take part in the Grade 3 Marine Stakes (an open race) and the seven furlong Queenston for Canadian-breds.
The Marine at 1 1/16 miles will give us a good look at a few of the leading Plate hopefuls: TIDAL FORCES, HADDASSAH, KEEP GRINDING and CANDY OVERLOAD.
Tidal Forces, highly regarded by trainer Gail Cox, is a Sam-Son farms’ colt by Malibu Moon who is unbeaten in 2 races including a 1 1/16 mile main track race at Woodbine on June 19 with a 77 Beyer Figure according to Daily Racing Form. The big colt was up to win by half a length after a wide journey and Keep Grinding (Tizway) had stalked the pace, led to the stretch, and then landed third.
Meanwhile, HADDASSAH, a homebred for the Al and Bill Ulwelling Stable, was a super third in a 1 1/16 mile turf race on June 13 behind the streaking Town Cruise who has since won again. Haddassah posted an 85 Beyer Figure.
CANDY OVERLOAD (Reload) is crossed entered in the Marine and Queenston. Trained by Krista Cole-Simpson, who co-owns with Denny Andrews and Northern Dawn Stables, was an impressive second in his season return at 6 1/2 furlongs with an 84 Beyer Figure. He met older horses that day. While the route distance of the Marine may be a question for Candy Overload, this bay gelding would have to be considered in either race. Note that Candy Overload’s sire Reload liked route distances and a three-quarter sister, Candy Trophy, was a route winner.
The Queenston would seem to be made for champion 2-year-old of 2020 GRETZKY THE GREAT to get back in winning form for Eclipse TB Partners and Gary Barber. trained by Mark Casse, last year’s Summer Stakes (G1) winner was third in the John Battaglia Stakes at Turfway in February and fifth in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3), each time looking as if two turn races are a bit too far for the son of Nyquist. He has posted good workout times at Woodbine since June.
Other than Candy Overload and Gretzky the Great, the main Queenston contenders are RED RIVER REBEL, also owned by Andrews and Northern Dawn, who won the Frost King Stakes last year over Candy Overland but was fourth to that one in their opener. And Sam-Son’s TIO MAGICO looks tough as he cuts back in distance for trainer Gail Cox after a series of route races in Florida, New York and Woodbine.
Meanwhile, one of the leading Plate contenders, SAFE CONDUCT is a surprising entrant in the Grade 1 BELMONT DERBY on Saturday at Belmont. The Bodemeister colt put up an 87 Beyer Figure when he won a 1 1/16 mile turf race at Belmont on May 2 before wallowing in the slop in the off-the-turf Pennine Rodge on May 29. Safe Conduct is owned by WellSpring Stables and he is 15 to 1 for the Belmont Derby.
Get out your pencil and paper and take notes on the races this weekend as you seek your bets for the Plate and Oaks.
FIELD FOR THE $150,000 GRADE 3 MARINE
POST – HORSE – JOCKEY – TRAINER
1 – Tidal Forces – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Gail Cox
2 – Frosted Over – Kazushi Kimura – Mark Casse
3 – Easy Time – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse
*4 – Candy Overload – Daisuke Fukumoto – Krista Cole-Simpson
5 – Haddassah – Keveh Nicholls – Kevin Attard
6 – Keep Grinding – Justin Stein – Tino Attard
* cross-entered in Queenston
FIELD FOR THE $125,000 QUEENSTON
POST – HORSE – JOCKEY – TRAINER
1 – Candy Overload – Daisuke Fukumoto – Krista Cole-Simpson
2 – Red River Rebel – Rafael Hernandez – Kevin Attard
3 – Artie’s Storm – David Moran – Paul Buttigieg
4 – Master Spy – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
5 – Del Griffith (S) – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Timothy Hamm
6 – Gretzky the Great – Kazushi Kimura – Mark Casse
7 – Download (S) – Justin Stein – Michael De Paulo
8 – Tio Magico – Luis Contreras – Gail Cox
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