Canadians Grabbing Wins as Woodbine Backstretch Opens

It’s Monday, February 24 and, at least for a few days, it feels like spring is soon on the way.

After a recent month of heavy snow and bitterly cold temperatures, southern Ontario gets a respite this week, just in time for the few brave souls who might want to ship their horses into the Woodbine backstretch.

Temperatures will be in the four to six degree range (Celcius) which means the three feet (plus) of snow will begin to melt.

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Just in time for the eventual move north, there have been local trainers getting some wins at tracks in the U.S. Among them have been Steven Chircop, Josie Carroll, Michael Wright and Katerina Vassilieva.

Chircop grabbed his first win of the year when Midnight Tempesta won a starter/optional race at Penn National on Feb. 21. The gelding won the one-mile dirt race with a front-running style.

Josie Carroll had wins at Tampa Bay Downs and Turfway Park. Ocean Mermaid (GB), by Kingman, won her maiden on the grass for Stonestreet Stables last week and in Kentucky, Pin Oak Stables’ Megaladon (Medaglia d’Oro) won his maiden on the Tapeta by six lengths. Unfortunately, Pin Oak’s highly-fancied colt Cut the Dust, a debut winner last year at Woodbine, faded to fourth in his return to racing in a Gulfstream Park allowance race on Sunday.

Mike Wright won with the eight-year-old gelding Justintimeforwine in a one mile turf race for $16,000 claiming. Daisuke Fukumoto rode Justintimeforwine, who was winning for the 14th time. Gina Wright is listed as owner.

And at Turfway on Sunday, Chiefswood Stable celebrated a win by homebred Simcoe in an allowance/optional claiming race at 6 1/2 furlongs on Tapeta. The son of Uncle Mo is trained by Katerina Vassilieva and it was his third win in his 14th start.

At Fair Grounds in New Orleans on Feb. 20, owner and trainer Angelle Carter celebrated a win with her mare Dixie Morning, an Ontario-bred by Giant Gizmo. Dixie Morning, under Felix Astudillo, burst between mares to win the $7,500 claiming race by 4 1/4 lengths at 37 to 1. She earned a 65 Beyer Speed Figure for her third win in 23 starts. Carter claimed Dixie Morning last August at Woodbine for $7,500.

Coming up next weekend, Ontario-bred three-year-old Scorching will compete in the Gotham Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct and Stanley House is in the Canadian Turf Stakes (G3) on the turf at Gulfstream.