What a treat it was to get a chance to see the next rising star in American sprint racing as NEW YORK THUNDER (Nyquist – Start Over, by Midshipman) visited Woodbine on Sunday, April 30 for the $125,000 Woodstock Stakes and blitzed the field.
The bay three-year-old colt was the first starter at Woodbine for the young up-and-coming trainer Jorge Delgado and first starter locally for Kia Joorabchian’s AMO Racing USA which has raced Group winners overseas but is expanding its American stable. Joorabchian is a football agent and businessman and fittingly, his purple silks feature as soccer player.
New York Thunder, a $130,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase in 2021, won both starts as a juvenile at Gulfstream with 93 and 83 Beyer Speed Figures. He was adding Lasix for his Woodbine debut and Ricardo Santa Jr was brought in to ride the fast fellow.
Hammered down to odds of just 1-to-5 and the pick of virtually every published handicapper, it took only about three strides for New York Thunder, who was supplemented to the race at a cost of $2,500, to clear his five rivals. Under light handling by Santana, the colt galloped along before turning on the jets and dashing away to a 7 ½-length win in a time of 1:08.45.
Ontario-bred Nineyfour Expos, by Outwork, was along for second place in his first outing as a gelding for D J Stable. Stayhonor Goodside, another Ontario-bred, came wide for third, also for D J Stable and also a first time gelding.
New York Thunder is the first foal of his dam Start Over, who did not race. Start Over’s dam Wipe Out had two winners from two starters and her dam Surf Club produced a litany of winners including Grade 1 Forego Stakes winner winner Emcee and stakes winner Spring Party.
Day 4 of the Woodbine meeting, on yet another rainy day in Rexdale, was dominated by jockey KAZUSHI KIMURA, who won four of the 10 races and has six wins from 20 mounts so far in the season.
‘KK’s’ wins came on odds-on GIVE ME MY MONEY who won his maiden in race 2 for Natural Eight Stable and Gus Vlahos and trainer Bill Tharrenos, who now has three wins from four starters at the meeting. Give Me My Money, by Souper Speedy – I’m a Kittyhawk rallied from off the pace in the six-furlong dash for $25,000 waiver claiming (he was not offered for the tag) for his first win in six races. He was bred by Frank Crean in Ontario.
Kimura also won on CANYOUHEARMENOW, a newcomer to Woodbine for Mary Self and trained by Zeljo Krcmar. This smooth-striding five-year-old by Algorithms, who has one wonky ear due to an incident as a young horse, rallied up the rail to win for the second time in his career. He was claimed by trainer Joan Mitchell.
KK and the very good six-year-old gelding OLD CHESTNUT rolled to a huge win in race 7, an allowance/optional claiming, in his first race off the claim for Bruno Schickedanz and trainer Martin Drexler. The Florida-bred by Speightstown was a stakes winner at two for trainer Mark Casse but claimed for $32,000 in October. In this return from the vacation, Old Chestnut raced on the rail and then angled out to take over from speedy Abisko to win by more than five lengths in a sizzling 1:15.02 for 6 1/2 furlongs, not far off the track record.
Schickedanz, the Sovereign Award winning owner of 2022, already has five wins at the meeting – from 14 starters – while Drexler is four for seven.
Kimura then guided UNCLE JOE (Souper Speedy – Hold That Echo by Hold That Tiger) to a front-running win in a $40,000 optional claiming race for Steven, Geoff and (uncle) Joe Chircop. Uncle Joe, bred by Steven Chircop, was the trainer’s 200th career winner and his 14th winner of this year already, as he wintered in the U.S.
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Writers Up! ONE BAY HEMINGWAY had a super three-year-old debut outing for owner and breeder Howard Walton and trainer Sid Attard. The Ontario-sired and -bred ridgling was mired in a wild pace battle while wide, but he pulled clear of the highly regarded Paramount Prince to win by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:10.50 with Luis Contreras riding.
One Bay Hemingway, who was second in the Grade 3 Grey Stakes at 1 1/16 miles as a juvenile after winning a maiden optional claiming race, is the first and only runner for Danger Bay (Stormy Atlantic), who was bred by Walton and was a hard-knocking allowance winner of over $350,000.
Another impressive maiden winner on Sunday was Woodbine Oaks candidate ELYSIAN FIELD, who rallied between fillies to win a $113,100 maiden allowance at 6 1/2 furlongs for Team Valor and Gary Barber. By Hard Spun from Elysian by Smart Strike, the chestnut was making her fourth career start and the Mark Casse trainee led a 1-2-3 finish of Casse fillies to the wire. Sahin Civaci rode the winner who went 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:1749.
Wagering on Saturday and Sunday at Woodbine improved a lot from opening weekend with about $10,000,000 in bets over the two days.
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