For owner and trainer BEV CHUBB and her team at Barn 15 at Woodbine, it had been a slow and frustrating beginning to 2025. There was not a lot of racing luck, especially for the barn’s nifty three-year-old DARK SCREEN, a two-time winner at two who has shown plenty of promise in his races. In his first outing of the season, the gelded son of Big Screen had a messy journey and wound up eighth and last as the favourite.
Similarly, SWEET PASSIONS, owned by the estate of Paul Buttigieg, had two very trouble-filled races in succession for trainer Rick Hayashi, who took over from his late boss in May.
Both three-year-olds were able to have much better days on July 27 when they each won a stakes event as part of the Ontario Sired Heritage Series, round 2.
Dark Screen, who came off his troubled season debut to be a close second in the 5 furlong Lake Huron Stakes to Go Kart Mozart, turned the tables on that rival in the Lake Superior Stakes as he came from just off the pace under Juan Crawford to win the $100,000 stake at 6 furlongs on turf. Owned by Chubb, Rick Okihiro and Greg Secko (his first horse), Dark Screen won by half a length over a closing Kekoa, while Go Kart Mozart landed third.
“He drew the one-hole three times, he’s an anxious guy, so that wasn’t so great for him,” said Chubb. “Just a lot of little things to iron out with him, but today, we had some good racing luck for a change, and it all worked out.”
Bred by Dr. John Brown’s Spring Farm, Dark Screen is from the Elajjud mare Lady Elena. There is a full brother to the Lake Superior winner in the August 27 CTHS Canadian Premier Yearling Sale.
This was the second win this week for Chubb and third for Crawford.
Thunder Bay Stakes
“This one was for him. He meant a lot [to me]. This horse has a lot of heart.”
That was what trainer Rick Hayashi said after Sweet Passions with jockey Ryan Munger finally got enough clear sailing to win, taking the Thunder Bay Stakes worth $100,000.
Bred by Buttigieg, Sweet Passions won two of six races as a juvenile and has been second twice and third once this year with more than her share of trouble.
Munger, who was able to orchestrate the dramatic score in the Thunder Bay, also found himself looking for daylight in the late going.
“She shows a lot of courage,” said Munger of the filly who was making her first stakes appearance. “Her running style – you do end up in those predicaments as she can’t go with the pace. When the pace starts stopping, she finds her feet. I had a nice split up the lane. I was going through nicely. When the horses do get tired, they do try to naturally gather together, but she dug down doggedly and she won a very good race.”
Sweet Passions is from the Philanthropist mare Sweet Super Six.
The next round of races in the Heritage Series come at Fort Erie on the dirt on September 9.
POINT STANDINGS
Colts/geldings
DARK SCREEN – 17
GO KART MOZART – 15
KEKOA – 7
MY BOY BRUCE – 5
AWESOME RAINBOW – 5
PHILIP BANKS – 3
MAGIC POWER – 2
LITTLE RED DOMI – 2
Fillies
RHAENYRA – 15
SWEET PASSIONS – 10
BRENGUNGIRL – 7
SU LEGADO VIVE – 7
ZIPPY GAMBLE – 5
SILENT STRIKE – 3
EXECUTIVE SUCCESS – 3
SOUPERGIRL – 2
WOZNIACKI – 2
SUIGU BELLE – 1
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