American trainer WESLEY WARD was in Rexdale, ON on Sunday and Monday last week to race horses in a couple of stakes races at Woodbine and check in on his King’s Plate hopeful MONTEREY BAY.
Ward, one of racing’s all-time top trainers and well known for his skills developing young horses, now owns Monterey Bay (Good Magic – Bola de Cristal (Ire) by Galileo (Ire) after the gelding made two starts for the Coolmore team in 2024. Bred by Christine and Jay Hayden’s Saintsbury Farms, Inc. near Lucan, Monterey Bay was a $330,000 purchase by Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Mrs. John Magnier and he debuted at Keeneland in April, 2024, finishing fourth in a 5 1/2 furlong turf dash. He was then at Woodbine for a turf sprint and was third.
He had three more workouts in July and August last year at Keeneland, but was put away.
Monterey Bay was back on the worktab in April at Keeneland, gelded in May, according to Daily Racing Form, and then appeared in a race at Churchill Downs on June 6 with Ward as his only owner. He finished second by three-quarters of a length.
At Woodbine on July 6, Monterey Bay flew to an impressive 2 3/4 length win in a maiden race at seven furlongs on turf under Pietro Moran. He posted an 80 Beyer Speed Figure.
“He’s bred to love the distance,” said Ward after watching the handsome bay train on the morning of July 21. Richard Morden has the Ward horses in his barn for Ward and Manny Frausto, a longtime assistant for Ward, is taking care of the horses.
Monterey Bay’s sire Good Magic is the sire of Kentucky Derby winner Mage and Belmont Stakes winner Dornoch, among others. Bola de Cristal did not race, but her Hard Spun offspring Gaston was a three-time route winner at Woodbine and was third in the Grade 3 Dominion Day Stakes. Gaston recently was in a two-mile-plus hurdle race at Colonial Downs.
Filly in the Plate
August 16 will be a busy day for Woodbine’s leading trainer MARK CASSE, as he will start three-year-old filly star LA CARA in the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga and he will have at least two contenders in the $1 million King’s Plate, first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, a 10-furlong Tapeta test for Canadian-bred sophomores, at Woodbine Racetrack.
Leading the charge for Casse’s Plate brigade is the Gary Barber-owned filly NO TIME, who drew off to a 3 3/4-length score in Saturday’s nine-furlong restricted Woodbine Oaks. With Hall of Famer John Velazquez aboard, the Not This Time dark bay topped a Casse-trained trifecta that included Grade 3-placed runner-up Shifty and third-place Winterberry.
No Time tracked in sixth position early and advanced to second as dual stakes-winning pacesetter Winterberry reached three-quarters in 1:10.97. No Time progressed through the far turn and took command at the eighth pole, powering away from the chasing Shifty to win in a final time of 1:50.14 – besting the final time of 1:50.37 posted by the Barb Minshall-trained Sedburys Ghost one race earlier in the Plate Trial. Her Beyer was 88.
Velazquez won his first Plate on a Casse filly, Wonder Gadot. Casse also won the Plate with the filly Lexie Lou.
Two of the last three Plates have been won by fillies: Moira in 2022 and Caitlinhergrtness last year.
“It was a legit pace and a legitimate time. They ran faster than the colts,” Casse said of the Plate Trial. “Johnny said when he asked her to go, she took off. I have to think she’ll be fairly tough in the King’s Plate.”
No Time, out of the graded stakes-placed Red Ransom mare Count to Three, is a half-sister to dual Grade 1-winners Count Again and Ransom the Moon. She was bred in Ontario by James Everatt, Janeane Everatt and Arika Everatt-Meeuse, and was purchased for $250,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale.
Casse, in search of a fourth Plate win, said he also expects to send out Gary Barber and Archer Racing’s stakes-placed Ashley’s Archer, a Karakontie colt bred in Ontario by Jayson Horner.
Ashley’s Archer crossed the wire first in the Cup and Saucer, a 1 1/16-mile turf test versus fellow Canadian-breds in October at Woodbine, but was disqualified and placed fifth. He recently returned from a three-month layoff to finish a neck second in an optional-claiming event versus elders on July 13 at Woodbine.
“We’ve struggled with his feet,” Casse said. “He’s had a quarter-crack, a foot abscess. We ran him in an allowance race last week and he ran very well. If that race move him forward, he’ll run good.”
Ashley’s Archer, out of the Distorted Humor mare Certainly Special, is a half-brother to Coltimus Prime, who ran ninth in the 2014 Queen’s Plate before winning the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown – the Prince of Wales – over dirt at Fort Erie.
***
Stronach Stables will put up $25,000 to supplement RUNAWAY AGAIN should they continue with the plan to start the impressive debut winner in the Plate. The gelding by Hard Spun – Golden Venus by Storm Cat won a 1 1/16 mile maiden race in 1:45 by 9 1 /4 lengths on July 13 at 8-to-1. He is trained by Sid Attard.
Runaway Again is a half-brother to seven foals of racing age, four winners, and his second dam, PRIMAL FORCE, produced 1997 Plate winner Awesome Again.
Golden Venus did not race.
***
MANSETTI, the Marine Stakes (G3) winner for the Minnesota’s Ulwelling family, had a big workout on Wednesday, July 23 of 1:12.20 breezing for Kevin Attard. The Collected – Gidget Girl by Sky Mesa colt has won four of seven races and he was bred by Jim Rome’s Jungle Racing.
Canadian Thoroughbred’s King’s Plate Contenders (top 10)
(last race Beyer)
1. Notorious Gangster (83) – Trained by Josie Carroll, won Coronation Futurity, fast-closing second in Woodstock, won Queenston, troubled 2nd in Trial, – Fraser Aebly.
2. Tom’s Magic (83) – Won Tale of the Cat Stakes, 83 Beyer, on June 28, Trained by Mike Stidham, won Fair Grounds stakes race – Rafael Hernandez.
3. Sedburys Ghost (85) – Won Plate Trial, 1st stakes win, O- Yawen Wu, also breeder. Tr – Barb Minshall. Ryan Munger
4. Scorching (81) – Solid second off 8-month layoff in Marine Stakes; 3rd in Trial after getting into pace battle; Trained by John Charalambous, won Cup and Saucer in 2024.
5. No Time (88) – filly for Gary Barber/Casse, a la Lexie Lou, Wonder Gadot. Big Oaks win. John Velasquez
6. Mansetti (79 in Marine) – Al and Bill Ulwelling, trainer Kevin Attard. Marine Stakes winner.
7. Ashley’s Archer (79 allowance) – Trained by Mark Casse, second in Tampa Bay allowance in ’25 debut, 79 Beyer when second in return race July 13 to US-bred.
8. William T (79) – big maiden puts him in the hunt for trainer Don MacRae.
9. Monterey Bay (80) – maiden win on turf at 7 furlongs was eye-catching. Trained by Wesley Ward.
10. Shifty (f) (81 Oaks) – darted to the lead in the Oaks but could not stay (not expected to run)
11. Faber (74) – closing 4th in allowance behind Ashley’s Archer.
12. Runaway Again (83) – maiden winner for Stronach Stables.
More News
