The deep-cold of the Siberian vortex has taken hold in southern Ontario and places south, at least for a few days this week. But Canadians in the south and to the west have been doing well.
Alberta’s multiple champion filly BIG HUG (Mr. Big) did very well to earn a graded stakes placing in the prestigious La Canada Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita on Jan. 19. And that was despite a dreadful journey which saw the five-year-old owned by Rick Hedge and Lori Neyka race three wide throughout the 1 1/16 mile race (in a six horse field) and get fanned out four wide on the last turn.
She finished third and 6 1/4 lengths behind winner Cavalieri.
Duo Hall of Fame trainer ROGER ATTFIELD sent out Charles Fipke’s READY FOR SHIRL to win an allowance/optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 18. With Javier Castellano riding, the white-faced Ready for Shirl came from off the pace after a perfect trip and won by a head in 1:40.32 for 1 mile and 70 yards. She earned a 76 Beyer Figure, according to Daily Racing Form.
That was Attfield’s 2,031th career victory.
There was an impressive Ontario-bred first-time starter who won last week at Gulfstream – BARBARA JOAN, owned by Jim Lawson and bred by Jim Dandy Stable under Lawson. The three-year-old filly by Frosted – Lucknow by Medaglia D’oro, trained by Mark Casse, was quickly in front at the outset of the 5 furlong turf dash. She sped the first two furlongs in 21.58, half a mile in 43.65 and raced the distance in 55.39 for a 76 Beyer Figure.
Barbara Joan had six workouts in Canada last spring before heading to the sidelines. She had been prepping at the Ocala Training Center recently. Her dam, Lucknow, is a winning half-sister to Grade 1 winner Better Lucky and Grade 3 winner Sahara Heat.
Lucknow has had six named foals, four to race, including stakes-placed Groveland. Previously owned by Godolphin, the mare was bought carrying Barbara Joan for $35,000 at the Keeneland January sale of 2022.
Last month, Ontario-bred TOM’S MAGIC (Justify) won his maiden in his second career start at Fair Grounds racetrack in New Orleans. Bred by Sean and Dorothy Fitzhenry, the Michael Stidham trainee led almost all the way to win a 1 1/16 mile turf maiden race in 1:45.97 for a 72 Beyer Figure. Tom’s Magic is a half-brother to Woodbine Oaks winner Dixie Moon, from the mare Dixie Chicken. His owners are CJ Thoroughbreds and Mo Speed Racing, which bought him as a yearling for $200,000.
Centennial Farms Niagara’s CHURCH AND STATE finished an even fourth in the Leonatus Stakes at Turfway Park on Saturday. The Kentucky-bred trained by Woodbine’s Dale Desruisseaux had a good trip although he tracked a slow early pace.
Martin Drexler is winning at a 43 percent clip at Gulfstream and his own Canadian-bred Tiz Romantic was a recent winner with an 89 Beyer Figure. Drexler has won with six of his 14 starts.
From British Columbia, WYN Racing Stables got off the mark at Oaklawn this week, with Ian Jewell saddling CHICK COMMAND (Second in Command) to take a six-furlong three-year-old Maiden-Claiming contest in gate-to-wire fashion on Friday.
Bred in B.C. by Jim and Anne Alendal, and a $16,000 CTHS Yearling Sale graduate when knocked down to Tod Mountain Thoroughbreds, CHICK COMMAND was originally trained by Edgar Mendoza before WYN purchased the then two-year-old privately last summer.
Clearly well regarded, the half-brother to stakes-placed performers Seven Nation Army (First Samurai) and Bar Fight (Forestry), was highly-tried at Hastings last season, running second to leading Juvenile MOUNT DOOM in the CTHS Sales Stakes before finishing unplaced in both the Jack Diamond Futurity and the Glen Todd Ascot Graduation Stakes. Friday was just his second appearance at Oaklawn and came a little over two weeks after he was sixth of 12 in a similar event.
Earlier in the week, Hastings’ handler Nancy Betts got off the mark for the year at Turf Paradise when tightening the cinch on 25-1 shot, ATTAIN, in a mile maiden claiming contest on the dirt. The Sungold gelding, who was bred in B.C. by Helen Klimes, raced originally for Peter Redekop (who bought ATTAIN as a yearling at the CTHS sale) before being claimed last year by the Greg Beneen barn. Betts took charge of ATTAIN for the winter campaign and Wednesday was the four-year-old’s third run in Arizona this winter.
Betts clearly has her small string in good order. Her other runner on Wednesday, the Florida-bred QUINTECENTS (Goldencents), was beaten just a head in a non-winners of three claiming contest earlier in the afternoon.
Attain, who like Chick Command led gate-to-wire, was ridden to victory by former Hastings’ pilot, Jose Asencio. Jose, who was leading rider in Alberta last season with 53 wins at Century Mile and a further 16 at Century Downs, has already booted home seven winners at Turf Paradise this winter in what is his first stint in Arizona.
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