TOP WINNING BEYER FIGURES IN CANADA OCT 23 – OCT 27 2019
89 MALIBU SECRET
89 DIXIE’S GAMBLE
88 FOXXY BELLE
88 WANDOFUHR
83 ABOVE ALL NAMES
82 ELUSIVE KNIGHT
81 TOWN CRUISE
80 VIRGA
80 WEEKEND WIZARD – CTHS Sales S. Century Downs
BABY RACES: COOL SHADOWS upsets Princess Elizabeth Stakes Saturday, Invading Chapalu takes Grey
Cool Shadows ($29.70) gave Chiefswood Stable and trainer Stuart Simon their second straight win in the $225,000 Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Woodbine on Saturday.
Cool Shadows had just the 2-5 favorite, Curlin’s Voyage (placed first in the Mazarine Stakes – G3 in her latest outing), beaten as they went down the backstretch, while She’s a Dream set an honest pace in the 1 1/16-mile test for 2-year-old fillies.
Curlin’s Voyage made up some ground on the backstretch, and then made a four-wide bid on the far turn, with Cool Shadows chasing her. Merveilleux and Avie’s Samurai vied for the lead in the stretch, before Cool Shadows came down the center of the track to prevail by a neck in a time of 1:45.45.
Her Beyer Figure was 72.
Merveilleux edged out Avie’s Samurai for second, and Curlin’s Voyage finished a distant fourth in the seven-horse field of Canadian-breds.
Jerome Lermyte rode Cool Shadows, a daughter of Munnings – Cool Faith by Pulpit, who was making her first start on the Tapeta in her first race past 6 1/2 furlongs.
“We had an idea that she would enjoy the distance,” Lermyte said. “She proved it today. She relaxed behind, and she gave a very nice finish.”
The same connections won last year’s Princess Elizabeth with Bold Script, who was eventually crowned Canadian champion 2-year-old filly.
“She’s just been a really improving filly,” Simon said. “She’s done everything we’ve asked of her. Most likely, she’ll go down south and regroup, and hopefully we’ll have her back in the spring for the [Woodbine] Oaks trail.”
The victory by Cool Shadows keeps the Ontario group of juvenile fillies with no dominant horse, leaving the door wide open for British Columbia filly INFINITE PATIENCE, the undefeated star currently in Alberta, as the top gal in the division.
The co-feature in Saturday was the Ontario-sired OVERSKATE STAKES at 7 furlongs and with Pink Lloyd not in the race, DIXIE’S GAMBLE got the win for owner/breeder Ivan Dalos.
This 4-year-old colt won 5 of his first 7 races since last summer but had been second, 5th and 6th behind the mighty Pink Lloyd in his last three starts. He was concentrating on workouts for trainer Josie Carroll since his last race in August and powered to a 1 1/2 length win off a slow pace. His time was 1:25.03 and he defeated Gail Hughes’ handy Mike Fox gelding Magical Man.
Dixie’s Gamble, winning his first stakes race, was ridden by Luis Contreras.
The colt is also the first stakes winner for Dalos’ own stallion GAMBLE’S EXCHANGE.
When Dixie’s Gamble was led into the auction ring at the 2016 CTHS Ontario Canadian Premier Yearling sale it was an exciting moment for Dalos.
Dalos, who has offered and sold dozens of Ontario-bred auction yearlings who have done on to big things, was interested to see how this first offspring of his own sire Gamble’s Exchange would do in the sale.
Gamble’s Exchange, a son of Exchange Rate, never made it to the races but had shown a lot of promise in his early training with Josie Carroll. Dalos decided to breed a couple of his own mares to the handsome horse.
Dixie’s Gamble, produced from the mare Mt. Dixie (by Mt. Livermore), didn’t quite reach his reserve price at that 2006 sale and Dalos bought him back for just $19,000.
“He was a little immature when he went through the ring,’ said Carroll. “But he had a beautiful walk.”
He has a pretty good run too.
*Manitoba-bred VESPOLINA won her maiden on Saturday for Dr. Ross and Brenda McKague, who bred the daughter of Overanalyze – Colorino by Include. Trained by Julia Carey, Vesplina rolled late in the turf sprint to win in her fifth career race.
Speaking of Ivan Dalos, a 2-year-old filly he bred, AMERICAN TAP, was impressive winning her maiden on Saturday for Gary Barber. The Tapiture – American Castle, by Quiet American gal showed little in her debut but rallied from off the pace to win second time out at six furlongs over what seemed to be a tough track to handle for some horses.
On Sunday, SILENCE BREAKERS won his debut for Mary and Ralph Biamonte with a 64 Beyer Figure for 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:04.62. The bay gelding by Giant Gizmo from Fantastic Allie by Ghazi won an early pace duel and drew off by more than two lengths.
One of the most impressive debut winners of the fall came later on Sunday when ELUSIVE KNIGHT won his 6 furlong opener with an 82 Beyer Figure, 6 furlongs in 1:09.79. The Stronach Stables dark bay juvenile is by Ghostzapper from Blue Enzian by Street Cry (Ire).
Stronach Stables bought Blue Enzian’s dam Ariege, winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks, for $1.8 million as a broodmare but she has not produced much from six foals of racing age. Blue Enzian’s first foal Elusive Knight sure looks like a good one.
Sid Attard trains.
The features of the day were the Grade 3 Grey Stakes for 2-year-olds and the Grey Handicap for grey horses at the starter allowance level.
Chapalu sprinted out for the lead early and held sway to win the $125,000 Grey Stakewith Patrick Husbands aboard .
Breaking from posts seven and eight respectively, Chapalu out-sprinted Torres Del Paine for the lead through a :24.45 opening quarter in the 1-1/16-mile main track event. The 8-5 favourite then opened up a 2-1/2-length lead and maintained that margin through middle splits of :48.17 and 1:11.77.
Torres Del Paine chased the front-runner into the stretch while Lookinatamiracle and Muskoka Gold rallied on then ducked inside to threaten late, but Chapalu held on to win by a half-length in 1:44.50.
Muskoka Gold, winner of the Cup and Saucer Stakes over the same distance on turf here three weeks ago, edged out Lookinatamiracle for the runner-up honours while Torres Del Paine finished back in fourth.
Fresh off a maiden-breaking victory at Keeneland over one-mile of turf, the Arnaud Delacour-trained Chapalu was the favoured shipper in a field of nine and paid $5.30 to win.
Owned by Edward Seltzer and Beverly Anderson, the homebred Flatter-Panther Strike colt debuted on August 1 finishing second over 5-1/2 furlongs on the grass at Laurel Park.
Just prior to the stakes feature, Gray Phantom ($12.80) bested a field of all-grey horses under cloudy skies in the third annual $50,000 Grey Handicap. The seven-year-old Hard Spun gelding, who finished second by a head in the inaugural running, won the race for the second consecutive year, taking the lead with a sixteenth to go and prevailing over Dani’s Victory in a photo finish. Eurico Rosa Da Silva was aboard this time for trainer Martin Drexler and owner Augusto Onesi.
The one-mile event, which was moved off the turf, was restricted to gray and roan registered three-year-olds and up which have started for a claiming price of $25,000 or less in 2018-2019.
Live Thoroughbred racing resumes at Woodbine on Wednesday evening at 6:45 p.m. Please note there will be a special post time of 3:25 p.m. for this coming Friday’s Thoroughbred racing program.
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