For three consecutive years, Leonard and Jonathan Green’s D.J. Stable, based in New Jersey, has landed in the top 10 of leading owners at Woodbine. Ontario racing fans get to see many of their well-bred horses in a variety of races thanks to trainer Mark Casse and his team.
Last year, D.J. Stable was sixth by earnings on the Woodbine owner’s list and fifth in 2023. Not only that, but two of their two-year-olds, DREAM ON and their homebred NITROGEN, are finalists for Sovereign Awards for their divisions and the betting favourites to win.
The Green team (www.Greenco.com) have both those juveniles in action in stakes races at Tampa Bay Downs on March 8, part of a big card that includes the Tampa Bay Derby (G3), which offers 50 Kentucky Derby (G1) points to the winner. D.J. Stable will be represented in that race, too, as BRODEUR, named after star Canadian NHL goalie Martin Brodeur (who played for New Jersey), tries his first stakes race.
The 1 1/16 mile Tampa Bay Derby, worth $400,000, has produced one Kentucky Derby winner, Street Sense in 2007, but this year’s field has lured double Grade 1 winner CHANCER MCPATRICK, owned by Flanagan Racing. Trainer Chad Brown prepared the son of McKinzie to win the first three races of his career in 2024 including the Grade 1 Hopeful and Champagne Stakes in New York. He was sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) and has been on hiatus since then.
Brown, who will also start HILL ROAD who was third in the Breeders’ Cup in the Tampa Bay Derby, has gone on record saying the colts are not fully cranked for this first race of the year. Both are also stretch runners and the field of eight does not have a large amount of early pace.
The speedy OWEN ALMIGHTY, trained by former Woodbine conditioner Brian Lynch, should be prominent early in the race after he was close to the pace throughout the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in his most recent start when second by a half a length to John Hancock. At this point, Owen Almighty is not being pointed to the Kentucky Derby.
Brodeur, the son of Nyquist, was co-bred by D.J. Stable. He has won his last two starts, a maiden race and an optional claiming race, on wet tracks at Oaklawn Park. He is also a pace presence at Tampa.
Dream On is 4-to-1 in the Columbia Stakes at 1 mile on the grass (race 7). The son of Not This Time won his maiden at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf at Woodbine, was second in the Soaring Free Stakes and third in the Grade 1 Summer Stakes. He won his sophomore debut in an allowance race at Gulfstream on Jan. 11.
Nitrogen is the 5-to-2 favourite in the Florida Oaks, which is race 10. She was third in the Grade 1 Natalma Stakes as a maiden last fall and then a very good third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. She won her maiden in the $150,000 Ginger Brew Stakes on the turf at Gulfstream on Jan. 4. The daughter of Medaglia d’Oro is from the stakes-placed mare Tiffany Case, who raced for D.J. Stable. Tiffany Case, by Uncle Mo, has had one other foal to race and that was Woodbine stakes winner Love to Shop.
D.J. Stable also owns a share in Kentucky Derby contender SANDMAN, an exciting son of Tapit trained by Casse.
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