Pretty much everyone betting the races at Woodbine on November 22 predicted that second-time starter BOSSY CANDY was a very likely winner of the $150,000 SHADY WELL STAKES for Ontario-bred or -sired two-year-old fillies. It didn’t matter that the Candy Ride (Arg) filly was meeting stakes winners Souper Diva and Zabarta and was the only maiden in the field of nine. Her debut outing, when second in a strong maiden special weight for open company, saw her have a bit of trouble and then finish a clear second with a 69 Beyer Speed Figure, the second highest number of any filly in the field.
Add jockey Rafael Hernandez, who already had 21 stakes wins at Woodbine coming into the day, and everyone jumped on board. Bossy Candy, breaking from the rail post in the 6-furlong sprint, was hammered down to even money. Early in the Shady Well, the 10th race on a marathon 12-race card that started at noon, Bossy Candy sat an ideal trip on the rail, stalking Souper Diva, who had the lead to herself. Into the stretch run, Bossy Candy took aim on the leader and was up to win by two lengths in 1:11.48 for a 70 Beyer Speed Figure.
“The first time, she just missed the break a little bit, a little bit slow, and we have a little trouble down the turn, got intimidated,” said Hernandez, who posted his colony-best 22nd stakes victory of the season. “Finally, got in clear and ran second. I knew she was going to learn from that, and today I was totally confident.”
Souper Diva, trained by Steven Chircop for 6 Deep Stable, was a clear second over Mathematical, who was lugging out on the turn, but closed ground impressively.
Bossy Candy is owned by Americans Greg Tramontin and Michael Stevens, who bought Bossy Candy from a Fasig-Tipton Digital Sale in August for $75,000. The filly had been training at WinStar Farm in Kentucky for owner John Stewart of Resolute Racing, who bought the filly for $100,000 as a weanling from the Keeneland November 2023 sale.
Tramontin, who purchased Siena Farm in Kentucky last year from the late Anthony Manganaro and now races under Greenwell Thoroughbreds, has raced Grade 1 winner No Parole (with Maggi Moss) and numerous other stakes horses since he returned to racing after a hiatus in 2019.
Bossy Candy was bred by A & A Thoroughbreds (Andrij and Andrea Brygidyr) of Bellwood, ON in a foal share with Will Farish. The filly, born at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms in Nobleton, is a daughter of the Unbridled’s Song mare Casey’s Dreamin’, who produced multiple stakes winner Ironstone ($600,000 in earnings) for breeder Kingfield Farm before she was sold carrying her eighth foal for $6,500 to A & A. That foal was Mesa Spirit (by Sky Mesa) and he won six races and earned $157,000. Bossy Candy was her next foal to race.
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FORESTERS EXEC could surely be tabbed as the horse of the week, even horse of the autumn season, with her four wins in a row at Woodbine including a simply remarkable score on Saturday. The Colebrook Farms’ homebred three-year-old filly by Old Forester from multiple stakes winner Krz Exec by Bold Executive barged her way through fillies under a skillful rider from Fraser Aebly and won the optional claiming/allowance dash at 5 1/2 furlongs by a head at 28-to-1.
Trained by Pat Dixon, Foresters Exec is from the elderly mare Krz Exec (2005) who has produced stakes winner Bear Paw, nine-time winner Still Krz, and the incredible gelding Bachelor Pad, who has 17 wins through last week. Krz Exec has a Frac Daddy juvenile filly named Daddys the Boss.
Watch the video of Foresters Exec’s win on Saturday below.
Jockey Jose Campos, who has established himself as one of the top riders at Woodbine, broke his tibia when his filly Danish Cookie stumbled at the start of a race at Woodbine on Saturday.
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