The party continues for the team of 2023 Champion three-year-old and King’s Plate winner PARAMOUNT PRINCE. The chestnut gelding won his second graded stakes race of the season with a strong, front-running effort in the 1 1/16 miles Seagram Cup (G2), posting a career-best 95 Beyer Speed Figure for a 5 1/2 length win in 1:43.37.
A $20,000 CTHS Ontario purchase, the son of Society’s Chairman – Platinum Steel by Eddington has seven wins from 13 races and earnings of $842,222.
Paramount Prince is owned by Mike Langlois and Gary Barber, the latter who bought into the horse after a sensational career debut for trainer Jamie Attard in November 2022. The gelding was transferred to Mark Casse for the 2023 season in which he won the Plate and Plate Trial.
The next older horse stakes race is the Durham Cup (G3) on Sept.28.
Not only a bargain yearling, Paramount Prince was bred by Ericka Rusnak who has done amazing things with a very small broodmare band.
In fact, Paramount Prince’s two-year-old half-sister of this year, Souper Supreme (Souper Speedy) is already a winner (and the only foal bred by Rusnak two years ago).
On Sunday, the three-year-old half-brother ITS TIME TO SHINE won his maiden for John Ross, Rijack Farm and Jim Aston. Its Time to Shine was the only horse bred by Rusnak in 2021.
For the Casse team at Woodbine, assistants David Adams, Kathryn Sullivan and Nancy Sullivan, to name a few members, it was another big weekend with two graded stakes wins.
The race before Paramount Prince’s romp, Tracy Farmer’s TIME TO DAZZLE did just that as she streaked to a big lead and flew home to win the Grade 3 Ontario Colleen Stakes at one mile on turf. The grey filly by Not This Time, who won her career debut at Woodbine over colts, has had more than her share of bad trips in recent starts and was happy to get back to Woodbine.
The cool and collected Sahin Civaci rode the winner, who was 11-to-1. Colebrook Farms’ Simply in Front was a good second.
So, that is 19 stakes wins for Casse at Woodbine in 2024, from 31 total stakes races run. In the last two years, Casse’s total number of stakes winners for 2023 and 2022 was 24 and 22 respectively. His record at Woodbine is 27.
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Speed is king especially when the E.P. Taylor turf course rails are out in the 4 or 5 path. Another handicapping tip is recognizing the time of year – getting near the latter part of summer when horses are perhaps at the end of top-form cycles or are coming off rests. The hot weather continues this week, and plenty of horses simply do not do well in the heat.
Also, you will start to see horses coming up with big efforts after big losses. One day a horse may be beaten double digits and then the next start they are winning. The class drops are significant at this time of year.
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SCARY SPEEDY (Shaman Ghost – Hot Society by Society’s Chairman) went from a 7 Beyer Speed Figure in her career debut on July 6 to winning her maiden in a hand ride on Saturday for owner and trainer Keith Edwards. Ridden by D’Sean Gaskin, who is quickly becoming yet another successful local apprentice rider, Scary Speedy won the 5 1/2 furlong maiden optional race ($40,000) by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:05.49, earning a 63 Beyer Figure from Daily Racing Form. She was racing with first-time Lasix.
Bred by Rob Marzilli, who had a first-time starter in the field, Secret Soul, Scary Speedy was a $5,000 yearling purchase from the CTHS Ontario sale last August. Scary Speedy is the first foal to race of Hot Society, an unraced half-sister to winners Tecumseh’s War and Half Past Twelve.
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Michael Coll’s first time starter I LOVE TO WIN got up in the final strides to win the split of that maiden two-year-old filly race, edging front runner Onejabtoomany, a daughter of Reload. Both fillies have solid workout times getting ready for their debuts.
I Love to Win is by Signature Red – Scatter the Silver by Scat Daddy and she was a $20,000 CTHS Ontario yearling purchase last year. Billy Tharrenos trains and Sahin Civaci gave the dark bay filly a patient ride from off the pace.
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Trainer JOHN CHARALAMOUS finally got some good luck and won his first race of the meeting when NIAGARA SKYLINE rolled to victory in a turf allowance/optional claiming race on Sunday. The consistently good six-year-old by War Front, an Ontario-bred, won for the first time at 7 1/2 furlongs on the inner turf. It was his sixth career win. Paul Braverman and Timothy Pinch own Niagara Skyline. Charalambous also ran third in the race with Boston Tea Party who set the pace.
Finishing in the back of the field was Grade 1 winner Shirl’s Speight who appeared to jump a shadow late on the final turn.
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