There will be dozens of betting opportunities this weekend at Woodbine with 11 races Friday, 12 on Saturday and another big card on Sunday. The past two Sunday cards have been cancelled in part due to weather and that has added races to future cards. As a result of the larger number of races, post times for the first race have been adjusted. Friday will began at 3 p.m. (instead of 4:30) and Saturday will start at 12 noon instead of 1:05. Sunday’s card is scheduled to begin at 1:05.
The 69th SHADY WELL STAKES for Ontario-bred two-year-old fillies is the featured race on Saturday with a $150,000 purse for the winner of the 6-furlong dash on Tapeta. The Shady Well is named for a great Canadian racehorse foaled in 1929 and owned and bred by Seagram Stables. A filly, Shady Well won 15 races including a remarkable THREE straight Durham Cups over males.
The Shady Well has been won by champions such as FLAMING PAGE, NORTHERN QUEEN, SUMMER MOOD, PHOENIX FACTOR, GINGER GOLD, JUDY THE BEAUTY, CAREN, and FASHIONABLY FAB.
This year’s field has nine fillies entered and Joseph and Alena’s Tara Horse Farm in Niagara-on-the-Lake has ZABARTA in the field seeking her second straight stakes win. The flashy chestnut homebred by the late Abarta from Zazinga by Head Chopper won the South Ocean Stakes at 7 furlongs by seven lengths under jockey Desean Bynoe. Bill Tharrenos trains Zabarta.
Zabarta has post nine and will need some pace up front to assist her stretch run. There are a couple of possible pace runners including Victorian Queen and Muskoka Stakes winner SOUPER DIVA, owned by 6 Deep Stable and trained by Steven Chircop, and SOUPER SPORTY (both fillies are by Souper Speedy), who was third in the Frost King Stakes against the boys last time.
Favouristism for the Shady Well could actually fall on the maiden BOSSY CANDY, from the Mark Casse barn with Rafael Hernandez riding. The Candy Ride (Arg) filly, bred by A & A Farms and Will Farish, was second by just 1 1/4 lengths first time out to Bells of Paradise in an open maiden event. Bossy Candy was well clear of the third-place finisher in that pleasing opener.
Bossy Candy was a $125,000 Saratoga yearling purchase last year by Greg Tramontin, who purchased Siena Farms in Kentucky last year and re-named it Greenwell, and is founder of GoAuto Insurance in Louisiana. Michael Stevens is a co-owner.
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