After the first two days of the 2024 Woodbine Thoroughbred season, trainers Mark Casse and Martin Drexler have 10 wins from the 20 races. The winter-raced and -trained horses are dominating the short sprints.
The Sunday feature, the $125,000 Woodstock Stakes at 6 furlongs, was won by King’s Plate eligible MIDNIGHT MASCOT, a dark, brawny son of Army Mule who managed to run down front runner Adios Now who had got away with soft pace splits. The latter, a $25,000 claim from Gulfstream Park for owner Frank Russo, went 23.57 and 46.66 on the pace with red-hot Sahin Civci riding. Tunechi, fourth in the Grade 1 Summer and Grade 3 Grey Stakes last year, tracked Adios Now while jockey Patrick Husbands smoothly tucked Midnight Mascot, owned and bred by Manfred and Penny Conrad, on the rail.
Adios Now tried to dart away from his rivals into the stretch and for a second it looked like he would, but might Mascot angled off the rail and charged as did Naptown who had been wide throughout. Midnight Mascot, trained by Casse, forged on to a three-length win over Adios Now with Naptown, another Plate hopeful, a length back in third. The time of 1:10.71 translated into a 76 Beyer Speed Figure according to Daily Racing Form.