Woodbine Recap Sept. 29, Casse and Da Silva win four

SHE’S THE BERRIES‘ exciting nose victory in the restricted Classy ‘n Smart Stakes capped a big day at Woodbine for the Mark Casse stable which won four races. The Ontario-bred mare was also one of four winners ridden by Eurico da Silva.

After coming up just a neck short in her prior two stakes engagements, She’s the Berries got up in time to nab the victory in the $100,000, 1 1/16 mile race over the streaking Red Cabernet.

Fresh off back-to-back stakes wins last month in the Eternal Search and OLG Algoma over the same 1-1/16 mile distance, Red Cabernet stalked pacesetter Crumlin Queen outside in second-place through opening fraction of :24.70 and :49.61.

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As they raced past three-quarters in 1:14.27, Red Cabernet struck the front while the Mark Casse-trained She’s the Berries launched her bid from the backfield under Eurico Rosa Da Silva. Fanning widest of all coming off the final turn, She’s the Berries unleashed her patent late kick and nosed out Red Cabernet at the finish line in 1:44.16.

Defending champion Bear Paw, coming off an Algoma runner-up finish, edged out March of Dreams 1-3/4 lengths behind in third. She’s Got Fire and Crumlin Queen rounded out the order of finish.

She’s the Berries was the bettors’ choice at odds 4-5 and paid $3.60 to win following a pair of narrow losses in the aforementioned Eternal Search over turf and early September Belle Mahone Stakes on the Tapeta.

“She tries hard every time,” said assistant trainer Kathryn Sullivan. “She really is out there running her eyeballs out and she really deserved this one, I thought.

“I think she’ll run on anything you put her on. She’s just got a lot of heart and she’s just a racehorse.”

Lifetime, the Badge of Silver-Just Like Daddy filly has won one-third of her 18 races, including last year’s La Prevoyante Stakes, while earning nearly $330,000 in purses for owner/breeder Brereton C. Jones.

*The fall season at Woodbine is for grass races and 2-year-olds and there were a couple of nice performances by youngsters on Sunday. GREEN GROWTH won a maiden allowance at 1 mile and 70 yards by a neck over the imposing Bold Victory in a good time of 1:42.46. The winner, a colt by first year sire Bayern from Witvh’s Coven by Cuvee, was a $60,000 purchase at the 2018 Keeneland Sept. yearling sale. The owners are hockey agent Don Meehan, John Fielding and Peter Kirby and Catherine Day Phillips trains the chestnut 2-year-old. Bold Victory, a $485,000 purchase last year by John Oxley, is a huge Flatter colt bred by Ivan Dalos who was gaining fast.

And trainer Nick Gonzalez had the beginner TORPEDO MAX very ready for his 6 1/2 furlong debut as the son of Silver Max came from last place to win his debut under Ismael Mosquiera. Owned by Stronach Stables, Torpedo Max ran the distance in 1:17.34.

*A popular winner on Sunday was SHAKHIMAT, owned by Dan Gale , Bill Werner and Roger Attfield. The handsome stake winning son of Lonhro had gone almost two years without a win but he had come close in a variety of races from turf to the main track. Sunday he grabbed the lead late in a six furlong turf dash, winning in 1:07.45 over the very good Reconfigure. Ace rider Rafael Hernandez gave the hard trying 6-year-old a pristine ride for the win.