NOT SO QUIET (Silent Name (Jpn) – Mona Moon by Perigee Moon) defended his Overskate Stakes title in impressive fashion Saturday at Woodbine.
Originally slated for 7 ½-furlongs on the Inner Turf, the Ontario-sired Overskate was changed to a one-turn distance of seven furlongs on the Tapeta after the Greater Toronto area saw steady rainfall on Friday evening through to Saturday.
Not So Quiet, under Rafael Hernandez, rained on everyone’s parade in the Toronto oval’s $100,000 feature.
Just as he did last year, the Mark Casse trainee arrived at the Overskate off a win in the Vice Regent Stakes.
It was longshot Derzkii, to the outside, and Not So Quiet who were running one-two, respectively, through an opening quarter of :23.02, but by the time the field of eight (Desolator was scratched) reached the half-mile marker in :45.76, Not So Quiet was a head on top.
Hernandez and the six-year-old gelding began to easily expand their lead around the turn for home. By the time the stretch drive got underway, Not So Quiet was already widening his advantage with ease and was volumes the best at the wire, winning by 3 ½-lengths in a time of 1:21.46.
Told It All, owned by Silver Duck Racing and Joe Pollard, rallied to finish second, Colebrook Farms’ Wave Baby was third and Derzkii, owned by Jecara and Fieldstone Farms, was fourth.
Hernandez doled out high marks for the Heste Sport homebred who has enjoyed success at various distances and on different surfaces.
“He’s nice. Last race [Vice Regent], he impressed me on the turf. He came running down the lane. It was the most impressive race he had so far. But he can do anything… he can do turf, he can do synthetic, he can be on the lead, come from off the pace. No matter how the race sets up for him, he can do it.”
Not So Quiet, who paid $3.30 to win as the 3-5 second choice, is 8-0-2 from 16 career starts. He has earned $402,936.
Mona Moon, the dam of Not So Quiet was a winner in six races and she has had only one other foal to race, winner Moon Over Victoria.
Heste Sport Inc. is the stable name for Rene and Darlene Hunderup who own Norse Ridge Farm in King, ON.
Not So Quiet was one of five winners, half the card, for the Mark Casse Toronto team. Hernandez rode three and Kazushi Kimura rode two.
*DEBRA ROMBIS has a nice prospect in her barn and after being stakes placed twice, THATSITTHATSALL won her maiden on Saturday and was the first winner for Rombis at Woodbine in 2021.
A chesnut filly by Silver Max – Ok One More by Include, Thatsitthatsall was second in her debut on July 31 and then second to Baksheesh in the Muskoka Stakes and second to Swinging Mandy in the Victorian Queen Stakes at 1 mile on turf. turning back to 6 1/2 furlongs on Tapeta, the plucky filly and jockey Kirk Johnson stalked and then pressed the early pace and skipped to a clear lead into the stretch. The filly appeared to lose focus briefly late in the race but held on to win over a chasing Load Abroad (Reload). She ran the distance 1:17.54.
Thatsitthatsall was bought back from the 2020 CTHS yearling sale for $4,900 by breeder Daniel Mooney. She is the second foal of the unraced mare Ok One More who is half sister to $267,000 earned Nashville Knight.
~ with files from Woodbine Communications
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