A pair of added-money features, the Grade 3 $150,000 Dominion Day Stakes, and the $100,000 Sweet Briar Too takes, highlight a special Wednesday afternoon Canada Day card of racing at Woodbine.
A field of 10 fillies, including Canada’s 2014 filly sprint champion Hillaby and graded stakes winner Unspurned will contest the seven furlong Sweet Briar Too.
Hillaby, trained by Mark Casse for Stonestreet Stables, won four of five starts in 2014 including a victory in the Grade 2 Bessarabian Stakes. The Distorted Humor bay is making her seasonal debut in Wednesday’s ‘Poly’ sprint. Patrick Husbands will ride.
Unspurned, trained by Hall of Famer Roger Attfield, won the Bison City Stakes last season in a breakthrough campaign. The Christine Hayden homebred daughter of Lemon Drop Kid has enjoyed a solid 2015, already winning the Grade 3 Whimsical, a six furlong sprint, and hitting the board in the Grade 3 Hendrie and Trillium Stakes. Alan Garcia is named.
In the Dominion Day, a salty field of seven has been assembled for the 1 ¼-mile event including 2013 Queen’s Plate champion Midnight Aria.
“We got lucky once going a mile and a quarter, no reason we can’t do it again,” said Jesse Campbell who will ride the strapping son of Midnight Lute. “He’s in good order. I see him in the morning and he’s healthy and happy. I was really pleased with his last race.”
Last time out, the five-year-old bay set the pace in the Grade 2 Eclipse Stakes travelling 1 1/16-miles en route to a second-place finish behind Are You Kidding Me.
Midnight Aria has won just once since his Queen’s Plate score, but has placed multiple times including a good third-place effort in Grade 2 Autumn Stakes last season, defeated less than two lengths by Lukes Alley.
The 17-hands tall Midnight Aria took his time coming back to the races after his Plate score, but has come to the fore much quicker for his five-year-old campaign.
“When he first came back (in the summer of 2014) he was very heavy and they couldn’t train him like they wanted to. The process of getting him back was longer and more complicated. This year they didn’t have to go through that, so I think it helped,” said Campbell.
Midnight Aria is listed as 5-1 on the morning line, the third choice behind 7-5 race favourite Red Rifle and 3-1 second choice, Mystery Train. Campbell isn’t concerned about being a long shot in the 1 1/4-mile stamina test and believes his mount has the versatility to be a threat
“That doesn’t matter to me. That’s why they line ’em up,” said Campbell. “He’s not one dimensional. If someone wants the lead, we’ll lay second. He likes this track and can handle the distance. As long as he’s happy and healthy we’ll take a swing at it.”
The Sweet Briar Too is slated as Race 4, while the Dominion Day will go as Race 8. First post time is 1 p.m. Fans can watch and wager on the all the action via HPIBet.com.
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