Post positions will be drawn on Tuesday, September 7 for the 92nd Canadian Derby (G3) at 1 1/4 miles, the highlight race of the 2021 Century Mile meeting.
There are 11 horses nominated to the $125,000 Derby including Alberta’s top 3-year-old TONY’S TAPIT (Tonalist – Autumn Wedding by Runaway Groom) who has five straight wins including all four outings at Century Mile. Purchased privately by Kirk Sutherland through trainer Jim Brown during the colt’s good runs at Turf Paradise, Tony’s Tapit won the Western Canada Handicap at six furlongs in his second Alberta start and later the one-mile County Lathum Stakes. He recently won a 1 1/16 mile allowance race over a couple of his Derby rivals and will head to the post for the Derby as the favourite.
One fellow who has been rallying at Tony’s Tapit in recent starts is Lori and Martin Neyka’s BODEMONSTER, a $1,500 purchase at the 2019 Alberta Fall Mixed Sale. The Bodemeister – Aline’s Secret gelding is still maiden but improving with each outing for the Nekya’s Empire Equestrian. Trained by Rick Hedge, Bodemonster also has a fascinating background as he was bred by Toronto’s Mitchell Kursner who is the breeder of this year’s Queen’s Plate SAFE CONDUCT, also by Bodemeister. Kursner has only bred half a dozen horses who are racing and both Safe Conduct and Bodemonster were foaled at Mike Carroll’s former farm, Grandview.
From the Manitoba Derby comes winner UNCHARACTERISTIC and runner-up MYOPIC. Uncharacteristic, owned by Winnipeg’s Adam Isfeld and trained by Robert VanOverschot, was a 5-to-1 winner of the Manitoba Derby at Assiniboia Downs, upsetting 1-to-5 favourite MYOPIC, recently purchased for $200,000 by a syndicated and trained by Robertino Diodoro. Myopic, by Candy Ride, was making just his fourth career start in the Manitoba Derby off a big maiden win at Indiana Grand.
Curtis Stock at thehorses.com talked to Diodoro about Myopic’s first Canadian outing:
“I don’t think it was the real horse that showed up in Winnipeg,” said Diodoro, who was the third leading trainer in North America last year and is currently fifth this year having sent out 169 winners that have earned $5,231,342. “I think he’s a lot better than what he showed in Manitoba.”
“It was a rushed deal. After we bought him we shipped him to Canterbury and then to Winnipeg. We only got one work into him. I thought he was a little light in weight and – I know this sounds crazy – but I don’t think he liked running under the lights. Jorge (jockey Carreno) said Myopic kept wanting to look at the lights. Jorge said he tried to get the horse’s attention but he said the whole way down the lane he never levelled out; he just kept looking up at the lights.”
Perennial Alberta leading jockey Rico Walcott will ride Myopic in the Derby.
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