Gretzky the Great is Gritty, Souper day for Mike DePaulo

As Queen’s Plate week nears, there have been dozens of exciting finishes in races at all levels at Woodbine in recent days, including the $143,000 Greenwood Stakes at seven furlongs on the grass August 14.

Canadian champion 2-year-old of 2020 GRETZKY THE GREAT made a victorious return to his home track with a hard-fought win by a head after a prolonged stretch duel. The Mark Casse trainee, at one time a Queen’s Plate hopeful but bothered by a nagging quarter crack this year, made an impressive appearance as he set foot on the track Saturday.

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Bred by David Anderson’s Anderson Farms Ontario and owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber, Gretzky the Great came ready to fight in his Woodbine return and first start since a fifth-place effort in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks on March 27 at Turfway Park. The son of Nyquist-Pearl Turn by Bernardini, with jockey Kazushi Kimura, gamely fought off County Final and Artie’s Storm down the long E.P. Taylor stretch to win a thrilling contest.

“Top of the stretch, I already saw two horses from the outside, actually I said, ‘oh he’s not today’, but he had extra passion,” said Kimura following the victory. “When I asked him so many times, he (kept) coming back and just keeping a head to them. He just had extra passion.”

Gretzky the Great broke strongly from post two to run alongside rail starter Red River Rebel through the opening-half mile in :22.56 and :45.02. Taking top spot swinging into the lane, Gretzky the Great was immediately confronted by Artie’s Storm and County Final setting up a long, grueling stretch battle. Not to be denied, Gretzky the Great dug in to best his rivals by a head at the finish line. County Final edged Artie’s Storm for second.

The final time was a sharp 1:20.70.

Gretzky the Great, who was even money, has now won four of five lifetime starts at Woodbine and is four for eight overall. The Casse student captured last year’s Grade 1 Summer Stakes before concluding his two-year-old campaign with a sixth-place effort in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. His Woodbine return victory on Saturday improves his 2021 record to a win, third and fifth in three starts.

For Anderson, it was a day of excitement not just for Gretzky, but his 3-year-old colt TAKE A CHANCE (Munnings – Gold Medalist by Medaglia D’Oro) had a strong workout on Saturday morning (:59 3/5 for five furlongs) and will be supplemented to the August 22 Queen’s Plate for $25,000.

Anderson owns Take a Chance with Don Ferguson, whose father Rod bred the colt, and William Carr, and this is the first horse owned by Carr, who, like Anderson and Ferguson, is a resident of St. Thomas, Ontario. Take a Chance won his maiden July 11, leading all the way in a 1 1/16 mile event with a 73 Beyer Figure.

He is the first foal to race of the mare who is a half-sister to graded stakes winner Southdale.

KEVEH NICHOLLS will get his first Queen’s Plate ride on Take a Chance.

More Saturday, Friday and Thursday

Last week some oil was applied to the Tapeta and the main track has been on the slow side, in particular Saturday as pace fractions and final times were slow.

ANTONIO GALLARDO, who moved his tack from Florida and Presque Isle to ride at Woodbine this year, is quickly making a statement. He has won 5 of his last 10 races including a triple on Saturday (he came close in two others but Big Cheeks broke badly and Twister Alert had traffic trouble and then was eased up). He also does double duty at Presque Isle on the Woodbine dark days. Gallardo won a couple of races for the partnership of Michael Lay, Woodbine’s newest director, and trainer Don MacRae this week.

Gallardo also rode MacRae and La Huerta’s Avoman to victory in the Plate Trial.

Gallardo has some work to do to catch the leaders of the Woodbine jockey colony. KAZUSHI KIMURA won three Saturday to pad his lead; he has 43 wins over Emma-Jayne Wilson’s 38 and Patrick Husbands, who has 32.

MIKE DEPAULO had a memorable win in the first race Saturday as SOUPER CLASSY was his 900th career winner. Souper Classy is owned by one of DePaulo’s longtime clients, Mickey Demers, and was ridden by Slade Callaghan, who was getting his first win of the season.

Speaking of first wins, WARNING BELLE’S fighting victory on Friday the 13th was a lucky one for owners Chris Sealy, wife Miranda and children Crissa and Crista and friend Kerry Thompson. It was the first win for the Sealys and Thompson and Warning Belle was making her second start for the partners. Krista Cole-Simpson trains.

Michael Burns notes the first win for the Sealy family on the win photo

Also last week, owner and trainer Mike Dunslow won his first race as a trainer, according to Equibase, as BRING DA FUDGE won a maiden race on Thursday. Co-owned by Kyle Sharman, Bring da Fudge was a recent claim. Dunslow has owned many winners in recent years with Lisa Burry training but this is his first reported win as a trainer.

Trainer Daryl Hasmatali and jockey Kirk Johnson won their first Woodbine race of the season with NOW WE ARE NINE who was well prepared to win his season debut August 12 in a six-furlong sprint for $10,000 claiming in 1:10.1/5.