POP IDOL turned the 68th Shady Well Stakes for Ontario-bred two-year-old fillies at Woodbine on Saturday into a one-horse race as she led throughout the six furlongs to win by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:10.62.
The daughter of Maclean’s Music – Unspurned by Lemon Drop Kid was 5-to-1 in the field of seven as Glorious Song Stakes winner Winterberry, from the Mark Casse team, was hammered down to 1-to-5 for the $150,000 stakes race.
But Winterberry, by Frosted, was niggled along early in the Shady Well to stay close to Pop Idol and never looked comfortable, finally slipping back into the stretch. After splits of 22.80, 45.30 and 57.45, Pop Idol and jockey Sahin Civaci darted away in the stretch while Tequest racing and MAC’s Stable’s Nata Trouble came along for second with Gary Barber’s maiden War Signal closed for third.
This was the third win in six races for Pop Idol, who is owned by US trainer George Weaver and R.A. (Randy) Hill Stable. Bred by Christine and Jay Hayden’s Saintsbury Farm, Pop Idol was a $100,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale. The buyer was the new pinhooking partnership Dew Sweepers, led by Ciaran Dunne and Jack Goldthorpe.
The Dew Sweepers placed the filly with Weaver and she debuted at Woodbine in June, finishing third in a maiden special weight to Soupergirl. The filly was then offered at the Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale and was bought by Weaver and Hill. After finishing fourth in the mud at Belmont-at-Aqueduct, the filly came back to Woodbine and won her maiden on August 31. She was back in New York in October and landed sixth in the Grade 3 Matron Stakes.
She came back to Woodbine a month ago, won an optional claiming dash and was transferred to trainer Katarina Vassilieva just before the Shady Well win. Weaver recently sent out his 1,000th career winner. The New York based trainer began on his own in 2002.
Pop Idol is the fourth named foal of Whimsical Stakes (G3) winner Unspurned, who also won the 2014 Bison City Stakes at 1 1/16 miles for the Haydens. Unspurned’s first two foals to race were non-winners from one race but her 2021 foal, the filly Nonchalant, a $400,000 yearling, was a winner in three races. Unspurned has a 2024 Ghostzapper filly and was sent to Charlatan this past spring.
Meanwhile, jockey SAHIN CIVACI continues to dominate the jockey ranks. He won six of the 10 races on Saturday (eight mounts) , bringing his total to 147 for the season. Civaci, who began his racing career at Hastings Park in British Columbia, came to Woodbine four years ago as a relatively unknown to local horsepeople. With Phil Gracey and Martin Drexler giving him opportunities to ride, Civaci was able to show off his talent in the saddle. Rafael Hernandez is second in the standings with 117 wins.
Brothers JOHN MATTINE and MIKE MATTINE were winners on Saturday. John won with RCC Racing Stable’s SILENT MIRACLE, a four-year-old by Silent Name who has won three races this year and even ran one of the fastest races of the season when he posted a 95 in a sprint in October.
Mike Mattine won two races on Saturday and has 17 wins this season, drawing close to his career best season by wins. Mike sent out Keith and Rachel McClelland’s TABEI to win her maiden in race 5 in her seventh career race. The homebred is by Silent Name (Jpn) from Wings of Paradise. And Mattine won the last race with odds-on favourite MIZZEN ASH who is the only horse of new owner Maria Andrews.
The first horse to come out of the very fast maiden win by Earhart on November 9 raced on Saturday, and SHE LOVES eked out her maiden win at 4-to-5. After a good rally to be second to LNJ Foxwoods’ Earhart (who won by more than six lengths) She Loves was back in two weeks for the $111,300 maiden race on Saturday for Equus Holdings and trainer John LeBlanc Jr. Under Civaci, She Loves (Cupid – Heidi’s Holiday by Harlan’s Holiday) was up in time to edge Silent and Sinful by a neck.
A $10,000 yearling purchase from the CTHS Ontario Mixed Sale in 2022, She Loves was foaled in Kentucky.
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