The light blue, yellow and black silks of Elizabeth and Gordon Lickrish have been seen in the winner’s circle at Woodbine for several decades, breeding and racing a small number of horses each year. It would not be a stretch to say that while the couple have had some stakes-calibre runners over the years, the victory by their 5-year-old mare GOLDEN VISION in the $100,000 Ballade Stakes on July 17 over champion Summer Sunday is among their biggest wins.
Trained with perfection by Tino Attard and ridden well by Omar Moreno, GOLDEN VISION engaged Summer Sunday the 2019 Champion Female Sprinter in Canada in mid stretch and edged clear to win the six furlong stake for Ontario-sired fillies and mares by half a length as the longest shot, 6-to-1, in the four-horse field.
With a pair of scratches (Artie’s Princess and Ishiyaya), the field was reduced to four with the betting public backing Summer Sunday.
The Stu Simon trainee got the first call breaking well from the outside but Spanish Ballerina shot through from the inside to take command. She set fractions of 22:95 and 46:08 with the bettors’ choice and 8-5 second choice Sav stalking the pace.
However, it was Golden Vision who stole the spotlight after kicking into action from the back of the four-pack on the turn as Summer Sunday duelled past Spanish Ballerina entering the stretch. With the favourite in her sights at the top of the lane, Golden Vision rallied outside and nabbed the victory at the end of the six-furlong sprint. The final time was 1:10.75.
Golden Vision returned $14.90 to win.
For Moreno, the 2010 Eclipse Award Winning Apprentice Jockey who left riding at the end of 2019 before returning this year, it was a nice return to the stakes race-winner’s circle.
“I thought actually I had a really good chance of winning this race today,” said Moreno. “There was a lot of speed. The last time when we won with her, she was sitting way off of it and she made a huge run, so I thought if I got somewhere maybe a little bit closer to the pace today, I thought she had a real chance of winning today.”
Fresh off that 6 ½-furlong turf triumph three weeks ago in rein to Moreno, Golden Vision is now two-for-two this season and has a lifetime record reading 5-3-1 from 14 starts.
Moreno won his 500th career race earlier this year.
Tino Attard, who has trained some of the top horses in Ontario racing, won his fourth race of the meeting.
Golden Vision, by Court Vision from the mare Good As Gold is a third generation Lickrish gal. The couple has bred foals from the Foolish Pleasure mare Wow Itsa Pleasure, the dam of Good As Gold. Golden Vision is the third foal from Good as Gold a daughter of Petionville.
More Saturday – Woodbine’s Tapeta surface has been decidedly very slow throughout this week and the Saturday July 17 card was no exception.
Closers on the main track continue to rule even as horses are coasting on leads in races at sprints distances through half-mile fractions of 46 and change. The front running score by LAKE SHORE DRIVE (Kantharos) in a maiden race on Saturday was impressive as the lone speedster to win on the day. Lake Shore Drive is trained by Kevin Attard, Tino’s son.
Jockey Chris Husbands won his second race in as many days at Woodbine as he guided the red hot CHEEKY PINT to a grass win for Keowee Racing and trainer Don MacRae. The Society’s Chairman filly was winning for the fourth straight win dating back to last fall. She was claimed for $20,000 by owner John Scott.
Another Attard was a winner on Saturday. JAMIE ATTARD sent out Tucci Holdings’ ROLLING SLOAN to win for $9,500 in race 4 under jockey Kazushi Kimura.
KIMURA continues to show he is one of the best reinsman at Woodbine. He guided longshot DRAGON’S BREW (Milwaukee Brew) to victory in an optional event, race 6, on the grass at 6 furlongs with a deft ride from off the pace and through rivals. Owned by Goldmart Farm and trained by Robert Tiller, Dragon’s Brew had finished 13th in his season debut on Tapeta but liked the switch to turf.
PAUL BUTTIGIEG and his team won two races on the card. GIZMOS BFF, co-owned and bred by Jimmy Goodman, came from last to win a $40,000 claiming race after finishing sixth in her season debut. And SOUPER RIVER, by Souper Speedy and bred by Sunrise Farm, won at 10-to-1 in the last race, a maiden allowance/optional under David Moran. Souper River was seventh beaten 11 lengths in his debut on June 20 against a tougher field.
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