There will be a lot of great racing to pay attention to this weekend, particularly September 14, Turf Champions Day at Woodbine. In British Columbia, the Grade 3 BC Derby has attracted a big field (post time is about 5 p.m. local, 8 p.m. eastern) and Alberta has its Alberta Breeders’ Day with a litany of stakes races getting underway at 3:45 local (5:45 p.m. eastern).
You can watch all racing on HPIBet.com where you can also wager or you can bet through www.bet365.com. Handicapping articles on the four Grade 1’s at Woodbine can be found on this site (Woodbine Mile, Natalma Stakes, Summer Stakes, E.P. Taylor Stakes).
Here are some things to watch for at each track on Saturday:
Woodbine’s 12-race card is easily the best of the year with four Grade 1 races and three Win and You’re In events. Aside from the fact that Godolphin and Charlie Appleby have a good chance to sweep all four Grade 1s, and it is more likely that someone else will get in there and take one or two; there are tons of stars on the card.
Last year’s handle was $12.17 million
Canada’s Queen of Racing, MOIRA, may have to overcome a slow pace in the E.P. Taylor (G1) but she has a big chance to get that first Grade 1 win.
The Natalma has six Mark Casse-trained two-year-old fillies but two of his best ones, Bullet and Shifty, are not in the field. Casse scratched Latin Fever from the Natalma and Summer Stakes (G1) and Winterberry was taken out of the Natalma to run against the boys in the Summer.
Chiefswood Stables’ PLAYMEA TUNE has never tried a one mile distance or the grass, but his race against top sprinter Patches O’Houlihan was so good that he merits a look in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile, this year sponsored by Rogers.
Another local Mile hope is NIAGARA SKYLINE, trained by John Charalambous. This Ontario-bred, claimed by Paul Braverman and Tim Pinch for $40,000 in 2022, loves the local turf courses but there are no races for him to run in currently at Woodbine. So, the winning type gets a shot at the big time today with a chance to pick up a nice purse share.
And Patches O’Houlihan looks almost too tough to beat in the Grade 3 Vigil Stakes. FASHIONABLY FAB, SOLO ALBUM and FOREVER DIXIE meets again in the Ontario Matron Stakes (G3) with plenty of shippers entered to challenge them.
And in race 8, two-time Horse of the Year and Queen’s Plate and Prince of Wales winner of 2020 MIGHTY HEART makes his return to Canadian racing after going on hiatus a year ago. Mighty Heart was gelded and went into training in Kentucky with Jonathan Thomas, finally making a start at Finger Lakes on July 31. On a muddy and greasy track, Mighty Heart raced wide and faded. He is currently trained now by Mike DePaulo who has the seven-year-old millionaire in an optional/allowance at 1 1/16 miles on the Tapeta with Justin Stein aboard.
BC DERBY
Who is the best three-year-old in Canada this year? It seems to be between My Boy Prince and BC hotshot AUGUST RAIN who goes for his second graded stakes win in the 1 1/8 mile Derby worth $125,000. The Grade 3 race has a field of 12 and Peter Redekop’s homebred by Sungold is the favourite based on his three stakes wins this year including the Grade 3 Canadian Derby on Aug. 24.
August Rain has post two and his main competition could come from Diocles (4) who came within a nose of August Rain in the Chris Loseth Stakes in July.
ALBERTA BREEDERS’ DAY
Multiple stakes winners BIG HUG (Distaff) and PLUM BLUE square off in one of numerous stakes races for Alberta-breds at Century Mile on Saturday.
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