With one week remaining before stall applications are due for Woodbine (Jan. 27) and a month until the backstretch is set to open for set-up (Feb. 21), Canadian horsepeople and horses have been busy in the U.S.
Coming up this weekend, Jan 21 and 22, there are more than a dozen Canadian owners, trainers of jockeys competing from coast to coast including a number of entrants at Gulfstream Park on Saturday.
Borders Racing Stable Ltd.’s ROARING FORTIES, a Florida-bred, has been targeting the $75,000 Sunshine Turf Stakes at Gulfstream and has post 7 in the 7-horse field on Saturday. Trained by Katerina Vassilieva, the 7-year-old gelding is 8-to-1 in the morning line odds for the 1 1/16 mile turf race. The son of stormy Atlantic was a two-time sprint winner on Tapeta in 2022 at Woodbine.
Also at Gulfstream on Saturday, King’s Plate hopeful GREYSTONE, a grey Ontario-bred 3-year-old by Will Take Charge, owned and bred by Garland Williamson, is in a maiden special weight on the turf for new trainer Roger Attfield. Greystone was a good fifth in his career debut in the $253,000 Coronation Futurity on the Tapeta at Woodbine before he had a very troubled run in his final outing of 2022. Greystone had been trained by Breeda Hayes, who has returned to Ireland.
Some recent results:
Sovereign Award-winning jockey RAFAEL HERNANDEZ is riding at Turfway Park in Florence, KY currently and he won his first race of 2023 when he guided 22-to-1 shot Bella Concita to victory in the $100,000 Likely Exchange Stakes on Jan.14.
Bella Conchita, a 5-year-old Kitten’s Joy mare, ran 1 mile on the all-weather course in 1:38.01 for trainer Cherie DeVaux. Coming out of three straight claiming races in which she was not taken for as little as $30,000, Bella Conchita earned $73,624.
Jockey EMMA-JAYNE WILSON notched her first winner of 2023 when she guided the Bill Tharrenos-trained TOO MUCH VINO to a 7 1/2 length win in a maiden claiming race at Gulfstream Park on Wednesday, January 18. Wilson, riding her 10th race of the year, had been on the First Dude filly for a close second-place finish on Dec. 30. Owner James William Fleming had claimed the filly on Dec. 7. This was the second win of the current Championship meeting for Tharrenos from 8 starters.
Trainer MARTIN DREXLER won his first race of 2023 when SOUPER SUCCESS, an Ontario-bred by Souper Speedy, won a $20,000 claiming race on Jan. 13 with an 84 Beyer Speed Figure. The 7-year-old had been claimed in his previous race in November at Woodbine by owner Bruno Schickedanz and was claimed from his Canadian connections last week by trainer Fernando Abreu.
Fort Erie’s leading trainer JULIE MATHES chalked up another winner when Beyond My Dreams, an Ontario-bred 5-year-old, won a non-winners of three at Mahoning Valley on Thursday. Owned by Bruno Schickedanz, Beyond My Dreams is by Congrats and was bred by Conrad Farm. Mathes has been racing at Mahoning, Tampa Bay Downs and Gulfstream Park and she has two winners from 15 starters in 2023.
Ontario-bred 3-year-old filly MISSION OF JOY, a Woodbine Oaks/King’s Plate hopeful, won her second straight race for RyZan Sun racing LLC and Madaket Racing at Tampa Bay on Jan. 18. The chestnut by Kitten’s Joy from Smart Mission by Smart Strike was bred by Sam-Son Farms and was a $32,000 yearling purchase from the 2021 Fasig-Tipton October yearling sale. Mission of Joy won a maiden special weight on turf on Dec. 3 and then took an allowance race/optional claiming race at one mile on turf last week with a 71 Beyer Speed Figure. Graham Motion trains.
