Mr. Ritz Puts On A Show; Stein rides 8 Winners in Week

Top Canadian Winning Beyer Speed Figures – July 20-26

courtesy Daily Racing Form

Scroll to continue with content

97 PINK LLOYD
96 MR RITZ
91 SHIRL’S SPEIGHT
89 RED HIERARCHY
85 AVIE’S SAMURAI
82 PIVEN
82 DUKE OF CARTHANIA (turf)
80 SLIP KID (turf)
80 STRIKING MOON

Defending champion Mr. Ritz was the star of the show once again in the $125,000 Seagram Cup (Grade 3) on Sunday at Woodbine Racetrack.

Hall of Fame trainer Josie Carroll conditions the winner, who turned in a gate-to-wire effort with Patrick Husbands aboard.

Alberta invader Explode applied early pressure to the front-runner through splits of :24.28 and :47.95, with recent Eclipse Stakes winner Skywire looming at the rail and Cooler Mike three-wide before offering up a challenge past three-quarters in 1:11:87. However, 6-5 favourite Mr. Ritz turned back all challengers down the stretch to prevail by two lengths in 1:43.28.

Second prize went to Eclipse Stakes (G3) winner Skywire, who finished a half-length in front of Cooler Mike. Avie’s Flatter, also trained by Carroll, closed four-wide on the turn to claim fourth-place. Jungle Fighter, Tiz a Slam, Perfect Tapatino and Explode completed the field.

“When he made the lead, I was a little worried with that horse [Explode] pressuring him, but he was so relaxed,” said Carroll in a post-race interview. “You could tell he was very relaxed and then we he got a :24 [quarter], I said, ‘You know what, they’re not going to catch him today.’”

Mr. Ritz returned $4.60 to win.

Earle Mack owns and bred the British-bred son of Oasis Dream who opened his five-year-old campaign finishing third behind stablemate Avie’s Flatter and Skywire in the Eclipse on July 4.

“I was a little bit disappointed [in his season’s debut], but he definitely got a little tired. He needed that race, he had all winter off and it showed a little bit,” said Carroll. “We thought he was very, very tight – he had been excelling in his works – but there’s nothing like a race to really tighten him up, especially at this level of competition.”

Mr Ritz now sports a career record reading 6-3-2 from 13 starts with earnings approaching the half-million-dollar mark.

“He’s won stakes on both surfaces. I think he’s just a good older horse that’s coming into himself,” said Carroll.

The conditioner also watched Woodbine Oaks eligible filly Avie’s Samurai ($8.60) win a 6-1/2 furlong allowance race later on the card in a good clocking. Ivan Dalos’ homebred stakes-placed filly got up late to prevail by a neck over the favoured Sav in 1:16.39 in rein to Luis Contreras.

More Sunday

The Sylvain Pion barn is on a roll and that team sent out another winner in race 1, ALICIA’S KID who won a 5 furlong turf dash, optional claiming, under Leo Salles. The gelding is owned by Malta Manors Stables and bred by Paul Buttigieg. The 5-year-old is by Kentucky Bear and this was his third win in 15 races.

SLIP KID was 0 for 8 on the grass coming into this starter/optional but the 9-year-old had fared well on the surface and in this second outing of 2020 the old timer came from well off the pace to win the 6 1/2 turf race under red-hot Justin Stein. An Illinois-bred, Slip Kid is 16 for 59 in his career and this was his third win for current owner 1569389 Ontario Ltd. Martin Drexler trains.

Oh Em Gee Stables’ WAKE UP MAGGIE posted a nose upset in race 3 for 3-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs. The Ontario-sired gal by Silent Name (Jpn) – Maeve by Valid Wager, trained by Harold Ladouceur was ridden by – who else? – Justin Stein. She snuck inside big favourite Silent Causeway in the stretch to win in a photo. Andy Stronach bred the filly who was a $10,000 purchase from the CTHS Ontario yearling sale in 2018.

Four-year-old JUST LIKE LARRY finally won his maiden for the estate of Gus Schickedanz and trainer Mike Keogh in race 4. The bay son of Langfuhr had a record of 11-0-4-4 coming into this turf race but his lone outing of 2020 was super as he was second to eventual stakes winner Shirl’s Speight. David Moran rode Larry.

Invading ELKE DO JAGUARETE, a Brazilian-bred 4-year-old owned by I C Racing and trained by Ignacio Correas, rallied to win this 1 mile maiden special weight in her third race of the year. She had been 5th in a Churchill Downs race on turf. She was bred by Stud Jaguarete.

Anthony Pottinger’s SUNDANCE HIT won his maiden on the turf in race 8 and this was the third grass win for the owner/trainer in 2020. This winner is a Claiborne Farm bred by Data Link from Vowel by Dynaformer. Simon Husbands rode the 4-year-old in this $10,00 claiming race.

DUKE OF CARTHANIA made an impressive Ontario debut for BG Stable and the Mark Casse team when he won an allowance race at 7 furlongs on the turf. This is a Constitution gelding who was a new gelding and a fellow who had shown promise in Kentucky and New Orleans.