Here’s an early look at Sunday’s Ricoh Woodbine Mile:
Horse/Owner/Trainer/Jockey
Ancil / Scott Farmer and Kathy Thompson / Joan Scott / TBA
Bobby’s Kitten / Ken and Sarah Ramsey / Chad Brown / Joel Rosario
Dorsett / Terry Hamilton / Brian Lynch / TBA
Grand Arch / Jim and Susan Hill / Brian Lynch / David Moran
His Race to Win / Sam-Son Farm / Malcolm Pierce / Eurico Rosa da Silva
Jack Milton / Gary Barber / Todd Pletcher / Javier Castellano
Kaigun / Quintessential Racing, Horse’n Around, & G. Barber / Patrick Husbands
Lockout / John C. Oxley / Mark Casse / Gary Boulanger
River Seven / Tucci Stables / Nick Gonzalez / Jesse Campbell
Summer Front / Waterford Stable / Christophe Clement / John Velazquez
Trade Storm / Qatar Racing Limited / David Simcock / Jamie Spencer
Summer Front Seeks Elusive Grade 1 Win in Ricoh Woodbine Mile
Waterford Stable’s Summer Front, a five-year-old Kentucky-bred son of War Front-Rose of Summer, is coming to Woodbine for one reason.
“I think a mile is his best trip (he’s won five of seven at the distance),” said trainer Christophe Clement. “We are trying to win a Grade 1 with him and will do our best on Sunday.”
Summer Front, who will certainly vie for favouritism, enters the $1 million, Grade 1 Ricoh Woodbine Mile off two excellent runner-up finishes in Grade 1’s in California.
He was second to Obviously in the Shoemaker Mile on June 14 at Santa Anita, beaten a length and one-half while registering a career best 104 Beyer. He next finished second to Tom’s Tribute, one and one-quarter lengths back, in the mile and one-eighth Eddie Read, July 20 at Del Mar.
The field’s second-leading money winner with $874,140, behind only Trade Storm, has shown several running styles, sometimes close to the pace, other times coming from well out of it, while finishing first, second or third in 16 of his 20 lifetime starts.
“He’s a pretty straightforward horse to train, with a very nice turn of foot. He’ll do whatever you want,” continued Clement. “It will be up to the rider to decide where he wants to be in the race.”
Aboard for the first time will be jockey John Velazquez, a record four-time winner of the Ricoh Woodbine Mile – Riviera, 2000; Leroidesanimaux, 2005; Wise Dan in 2012 and 2013. Clement finished second to Wise Dan in this race last year with Za Approval and was third to Turallure with Right One in a three-horse photo in 2011.
Is the Mile ‘His Race to Win?’
His Race to Win, a multiple graded stakes winner on the ‘Poly’, will try to improve his credentials on the lawn in Sunday’s $1-million Ricoh Woodbine Mile.
The Sam-Son Farm homebred will try and provide the legendary Canadian stable with their third Mile winner joining the ranks of Soaring Free (2004) and Quiet Resolve (1999).
Trained by Malcolm Pierce, the bay son of Stormy Atlantic notched his first turf win in his seasonal debut travelling 1 1/16-miles in a Keeneland allowance tilt on April 16.
“He ran a very strong race first time out at Keeneland this spring,” said Pierce. “We’ve been trying to get him back to the turf, but we’ve also had horses like Aldous Snow and Up With the Birds running in turf races…but now we have this chance.”
The hard-trying four-year-old has a wealth of top flight experience, boasting a record of 5-3-3 from 16 career starts. As a three-year-old, the deep closer enjoyed a strong Queen’s Plate run finishing second, by a nose, in the Plate Trial before a sixth-place finish in the Plate itself, over a track that favoured the pace-setting winner Midnight Aria.
His Race to Win earned his first graded score on September 15, 2013, putting away Winning Cause to win the 1 1/8-miles Grade 3 Ontario Derby. Last time out, His Race to Win rallied from last-to-first to capture the 1 1/16-miles Grade 3 Seagram Cup.
“He’s been really good this year and he beat some nice horses last time on the Poly and I think he can transfer his form over to the turf. I think he might even be a few lengths better on the turf,” said Pierce.
In his final prep for the Mile, His Race to Win breezed five furlongs in 1:01.60 in company with stablemate, and reigning Horse of the Year, Up With the Birds (1:02.80).
“They stayed together for the first half of a mile and I told Eurico to make this horse do something the last eighth of a mile…His Race to Win just kicked on and opened up and finished through the wire very strongly. I’m very pleased with how the work went,” said Pierce.
It will be a busy weekend for Sam-Son Farm as Pierce will also saddle Aldous Snow in the Grade 1 $300,000 Northern Dancer Stakes and fillies Dance Again and Deceptive Vision in the Grade 2 $300,000 Canadian Stakes, a Breeders Cup Win and You’re In event, for the Hall of Fame outfit.
Pierce will also send out Pin Oak Stable’s undefeated filly Don’t Leave Me in Saturday’s Grade 2 Natalma Stakes, a grassy one-turn mile for juvenile fillies which carries Win and You’re In status.
Woodbine Mile Draw Available on Website
A reminder that Thursday’s Woodbine Mile draw from the east-end VIP tent will be streamed live at www.woodbinemile.com. Further information and event details for Mile day are available there. The Twitter hashtag is #WOMile.
Early Look at the Northern Dancer
Horse/Trainer/Jockey
ALDOUS SNOW/MALCOLM PIERCE/TBA
DYNAMIC SKY/MARK CASSE/TBA
FORTE DEI MARMI (GB)/ROGER ATTFIELD/TBA
KARIBU GARDENS/JOSIE CARROLL/TBA
PERFECT TIMBER/ROGER ATTFIELD/TBA
REPORTING STAR/PAT PARENTE/JUSTIN STEIN
SHEIKHZAYEDROAD (GB)/DAVID SIMCOCK/MARTIN LANE
SKY CAPTAIN/MARK CASSE/PATRICK HUSBANDS
VILLANDRY/CHARLIE LOPRESTI/TBA
Early Look at the Canadian Stakes, A Breeders’ Cup Wayi Race
Horse/Trainer/Jockey
DANCE AGAIN/MALCOLM PIERCE/TBA
DECEPTIVE VISION/MALCOLM PIERCE/TBA
INDUSTRIAL POLICY/MARK CASSE/TBA
LEXIE LOU/MARK CASSE/PATRICK HUSBANDS
MAXIMOVA/CHRISTOPHE CLEMENT/JOHN VELAZQUEZ
MERI SHIKA/ROGER ATTFIELD/TBA
SAVVY HESTER/RICKY GRIFFITH/TBA
SOLID APPEAL/READE BAKER/TBA
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