Ontario-bred LAC MACAZA showed plenty of potential as soon as he began his racing career as two-year-old in 2021, winning three straight races including one in early 2022. Frank Meremenstein, co-owner and breeder of the Giant Gizmo – Garavogue Colleen gelding, and trainer Julia Carey, flirted with the idea of the Queen’s Plate in ’22 but instead moved him to turf where he was third in the Breeders’ Stakes.
A consistently hard-trying fellow, Lac Macaza placed a few times in subsequent races but it wasn’t until he was dropped in for $25,000 claiming last summer that he got back on the winning track. Mermenstein and co-owner Goldie Stable were lucky the gelding wasn’t claimed; Lac Macaza has come back in 2024 as a vastly improved runner and on September 7 he won the $100,000 Niagara Overnight Stakes under apprentice Pietro Moran.
Tracking a crazy pace battle (6 furlongs in 1:10.71 in a 1 1/4 mile race) between Eyes on the King and race favourite Stone Age, Lac Macaza got the jump on his rivals as he swept past those two tiring leaders, opening up into the stretch and held off the closers Stanley House and Palazzi.
Stanley House managed to keep second place despite drifting out and brushing Palazzi which led to an inquiry. The time on good turf was 2:01.10. English Conqueror was a mid-afternoon scratch due to a Lasix administration issue. Paramount Prince was also a significant scratch but was only entered in case the race came off the grass.
“This means the world,” said Carey of the gelding owned by Eliot Kohn’s Goldie Stables and Mermenstein’s Discovery Racing. “He’s such a nice animal. Last year, we had a little bit of ups and downs with him, even ran him for 25 once. But he’s just getting better as he’s getting older.”
The Niagara was the seventh win in 24 races for Lac Macaza and the Niagara was the eighth stakes win for Carey. The gelding has earned over $376,000. He is the second foal of stakes-placed Garavogue Colleen, a daughter of Sligo Bay (Ire).
Saturday’s racing card came on a breezy, damp and very cool afternoon and it was Greenwood Stakes day, a party held at the new Homestretch Dining and Suites trackside.
Apprentice Moran won three straight races to add to his impressive totals – he’s third in the leading rider standings with 54 wins behind Sahin Civaci and Rafael Hernadez. Not far behind in another high-flying apprentice, FRASER AEBLY, who has 38 wins.
One of Moran’s other wins on Saturday was a last-to-first steer on BAIL US OUT to win a turf allowance/optional claiming race for Repole Stable of New York. Kevin Attard trains this Lookin at Lucky colt who won one of two races for trainer Todd Pletcher but was off from February to July. In his Woodbine debut he was ninth on the inner turf but loved it on Saturday, winning at 5-to-1.
Bail Us Out was a $700,000 two-year-old in training purchase at the Ocala 2023 April sale.
The Lasix administration error was the second such incident in Ontario racing in a week. Last weekend three horses were scratched from the first race at Ajax Downs due to Racing Forensics staff not administering Lasix to entrants for the race on time. The senior steward’s report from Woodbine yesterday noted:
Following the 2nd race, Chief Test Inspector, Darlene DiPaola, informed us that there was an issue with the administration of Lasix to the horse English Conqueror, post #3 in the 9th race, the Niagara Stakes, the administration was given earlier than the specified time and as per TB Rule 36.07, a horse shall be scratched in the event of an early or late administration.
Trainer Darwin Banach was informed that English Conqueror would be a Steward scratch.
The stewards have been busy in the past week with inquiries and several different situations. Apprentice Micah Husbands, who only just returned to riding after missing a year this summer, was fined $500 for getting an elbow up on fellow rider Jose Campos.
And trainers Martin Drexler and Jim Ensom spoke to “a possible conflict of interest regarding Assistant Trainers. Mr. Ensom stated he did not have an Assistant in his employ but one of Mr. Drexler’s does gallop a couple of horses for him. We iterated that Assistants are bound by their employ and we understand the needs of exercise persons on the backstretch. Afternoon racing requires Assistants to saddle only for their respective Trainers. Will monitor going forward.”
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