The penultimate weekend of racing at Woodbine for the 2021 season has an important collection of graded stakes races that could have implications for the 2021 Sovereign Awards which will be held next spring.
Saturday’s Grade 2 Kennedy Road Stakes pits Pink Lloyd, who has been the Champion Sprinter four years in succession, with Souper Stonehenge, who beat the champ in two graded stakes this summer. If either of the two geldings win on Saturday, it is likely the winner will have the best chance at the Sovereign.
Sunday’s stakes doubleheader features the 2-year-olds in the Grade 3 Grey and Grade 3 Mazarine, each worth $150,000.
The Grey is named for Earl Grey, the Governor General of Canada at the time the race was inaugurated in 1906. The Mazarine is named for the dam of one of the greatest Canadian-bred horses, ACE MARINE, who won all three races of the series that was soon to be dubbed the Canadian Triple Crown.
As the juveniles only need to make two starts in Canada during the year to be eligible for the Sovereign, Princess Elizabeth Stakes winner MOIRA, who won her career debut in the $250,000 Princess Elizabeth Stakes, could nab the Sovereign with a Mazarine win.
But the 1 1/16-mile Mazarine is an open race, not restricted to Canadian-breds, and the competition is much tougher than what she beat in the Princess Elizabeth.
In the Elizabeth, with jockey Justin Stein at the controls, the Adena Springs-bred miss put in a stunning rally to win going away by 4 ¼-lengths in the 1 1/16-mile tilt. The final time was 1:44.63 for a 71 Beyer Speed Figure.
Trained by Kevin Attard for owners X-Men Racing LLC, Madaket Racing LLC and SF Racing LLC, Moira managed to surpass the conditioner’s lofty pre-race expectations.
“She’s a very nice filly,” said Attard, who is enjoying another prosperous campaign at the Toronto oval. “I was very keen even before we ran her. Obviously, to be running in a stake and going two-turns first-time out is a bit of a risky undertaking, but I thought it was a very calculated risk. I was confident in her and it worked out really well. I thought she looked pretty impressive. This race, the Mazarine, is open company and a big step up in class but she’s trained really well in the interim and I’m really excited to see her continue to develop and possibly be a very nice horse.”
High-profile bloodstock agent and owner Donato Lanni was equally impressed by Moira’s curtain-raising performance.
“I was not necessarily expecting that,” admitted Lanni. “I was at the Yearling Sale [in Kentucky] and we stopped looking at the horses and went into the bar there to watch her. I was really nervous because I didn’t know a whole lot about her, but Kevin mentioned that the race was coming up and he didn’t want to run her short. When he told me he wanted to run her in the stake, I was initially thinking, ‘Are you kidding me?’ He told me not to worry. That was it.
“When I was watching the race and saw her make that move, I was stunned for a bit after that. She was really impressive. Kevin is a good friend of mine and I’ve known him for 20-plus years, and he’s a hell of a trainer. Him knowing about Moira ahead of that race is a great example of that.”
Lanni, a Montreal native who moved to Kentucky 25 years ago, will be at Woodbine along with other owners of the bay filly to watch her run in the Mazarine.
“I’m excited about going to Woodbine,” said Lanni. “I’m bringing some of the owners from Kentucky with me. It’s going to be a good crowd of people and it’s going to be a lot of fun to attend the races at Woodbine this late in the year. Some of these guys have never been to Woodbine, so they’re pretty excited about going up there and seeing what it’s all about and watching her race.”
Moira has to get past Glorious Song Stakes winner AUBRIETA (Speightster) and stakes-placed MRS. BARBARA (Bodemeister), two of four tough Mark Casse trainees in the field.
Aubrieta has two wins in three races including a handy win in the Glorious Song at seven furlongs with a smart 80 Beyer Figure. Mrs. Barbara was fourth in the Grade 1 Natalma Stakes for owner Spruce Stable (Jim Lawson, Woodbine CEO) after a third place finish in the Catch a Glimpse Stakes. She won her maiden with style on the Tapeta on Nov, 7 with a 75 Beyer Figure.
*The Grey Stakes, also at 1 1/16 miles, has Coronation Futurity winner THE MINKSTER (English Channel) starting from post 13 against Cup & Saucer Stakes winner GOD OF LOVE (by Cupid, Post 11), Display Stakes winner HICKSY (Hootenanny, post 12) and two-time sprint stakes winner IRONSTONE (Mr Speaker, post 3) among others. The Sovereign award could belong to any of those guys should one win on Sunday.
Attard and Lanni have a good hand in the Grey Stakes, sending out BE LIKE CLINT and Hicksy.
Bred in Kentucky by Woods Edge Farm and owned by the same connections as Moira, Be Like Clint is 1-1-1 from four starts and will contest his first career stakes race on Saturday.
The son of Point of Entry arrives at the Grey off a second-place finish in a 1/16-mile Tapeta race on November 6.
“I was a little disappointed in his last start,” said Attard. “He lost a little bit of ground around the turn and then regained some momentum and ran on to be second. He’s a colt that still seems to be figuring things out, so we’re hoping he takes another step in the right direction and shows a little bit more improvement.”
Hicksy, owned by Lanni through the Lanni Bloodstock LLC banner, heads into the Grey on a two-race win streak, including a three-quarter length score in the seven-furlong Display Stakes on October 30.
The son of Hootenanny, bred by Richard Forbush, debuted on September 12 at Woodbine, finishing fourth in a 5 ½-furlong main track race.
“He’s a very nice colt,” praised Attard. “He’s won his last two races and is a stakes winner now. He’s stretching out in distance for the first time. I don’t think it’s going to be an issue for him. He seems to be rateable. He has some early foot, and he can be positioned anywhere you need him to be. Hopefully, he’s just good enough.”
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