At Woodbine on June 26, a champion made a victorious return, a Quarter Horse jockey won with his first-ever Thoroughbred and the power went out during race 1.
The racing at Woodbine to begin 2021 has been top-notch, in particular as far as big fields, close finishes and competitive betting races on weekends.
The Grade 3 Trillium for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles was dandy as SOUPER ESCAPE (Medaglia D’Oro – Cry and Catch Me by Street Cry (Ire) made her first start since her 2020 season as Canada’s Champion Older Mare a winning one. The speedy mare held off Crystal Glacier to win by a nose, marking a 1-2 finish in the race for Live Oak Plantation.
Jockey Luis Contreras was aboard Souper Escape for her front-running journey.
Trained by Michael Trombetta, Souper Escape was sharp leaving the gate and quickly established the lead into the first turn. She clocked fractions of :24.24 to the quarter, :48.42 to the half-mile mark and 1:11.54 to three-quarters while turning back the stalking Red Cabernet.
Souper Escape continued to lead the way into the stretch, with Skygaze looming outside of Merveilleux. However, Crystal Glacier, who followed the leader throughout, proved to be the biggest threat with a late lunge down the lane to make it into the win photo under Kazushi Kimura.
“It was close, but I thought I had a pretty good chance to win the race,” said Contreras after getting the nod in the photo finish. The winning time was 1:43.12.
“By the way my filly was acting in the post parade, I knew she was going to be sharp. So I knew she was going to be on the lead no matter what. I was just trying to make her relax to have some horse at the end.”
Souper Escape won the Trillium last year as well as the Grade 3 Seaway Stakes and she now has a lifetime record of 7-2-3 from 20 starts.
Souper Escape paid $9.20, $4.40 and $3.80 across the board for winning her season’s debut. She combined with the favoured Crystal Glacier ($3.70, $2.80) for a 2-1 exacta that returned $30.10 for a $2 ticket. Skygaze ($4) finished 2-1/4 lengths behind in third.
Mark Casse trainees finished second through fourth, with Heavenly Curlin closing from the backfield to complete the superfecta. Merveilleux was fifth, with Royal Wedding, Brassy and Red Cabernet completing the order.
Saturday notes:
Jockey JOSH SCOTT, who has been a regular rider at Ajax Downs where he has won 25 races, rode in his first Thoroughbred race Saturday and won it on Susan Rasmussen’s ANTE UP ALEX, trained by Angus Buntain. Scott rode the first-time starter by Silver Max, bred by Rasmussen, smoothly, tracking the speed between horses early in the six furlong race. Into the stretch, Scott guided the sizy chestnut through horses and then got him up for a narrow win at 39 to 1, the longest shot on the board. Scott had been prepping Ante Up Alex this winter in the snow so it was fitting he got his first Thoroughbred win on the colt.
After a brief power outage from a surge after the horses were released from the gate in race 1 things were rectified fairly quickly. Powering to victory in race 1 and remaining undefeated was Tequesta Racing’s OWEN’S TOUR GUIDE, a Tourist filly bred by Joey Gee Thoroughbreds. Bought by Adrian meli for $5,000 at the CTHS Ontario sale in 2019, the dark bay filly rode the rail to victory in the six furlong turf dash under Ademar Santos. Willie Armata trains.
ATA Stables Inc. and trainer Josie Carroll combined to win race 2, a maiden/optional event with MASON’S GAMBLE, a son of Ontario sire Gamble’s Exchange – Dynaco by Dynaformer. The bay colt was making his second career start and first ofo the year and Patrick Husbands rode.
JEANNIE’S BEEPBEEP was an impressive winner of an allowance/optional spring, race 3, for Living the Dream Stables LLC and Norm McKnight. The Successful Appeal mare was making her Woodbine debut and starting for the second time for these connections after being claimed at Turfway Park for $50,000 in March. Luis Contreras rode the now-6-time winner.
She sizzled 6 furlongs in near-track record time, 1:08.41.
Kentucky bred BODE’S TIPSY was well prepared to win his 3-year-old debut in a maiden allowance worth $123,200 by trainer Santino DiPaola. The flashy Bodemeister colt, ridden by the red hot KEVEH NICHOLLS (7 winners at the meeting already), won the 7 furlong turf race by 3 lengths in 1:20.97.
FROSTED ICING won his career debut in race 6, a 5 furlong turf maiden allowance for Gary Barber and Mark Casse. This grey sophomore is an interesting story as he was sold for $165,000 as a weanling , $210,000 as a yearling, but then picked up by Team Casse for just $10,000 at the Maryland Two-Year-Old in Training sale last May. Bred in Ontario by Anderson Farms and Peter Berglar Racing, the gelding zipped away under the track’s leading rider, Emma-Jayne Wilson (15 wins already) and won by a head in 57.78 over another beginner, Dunsandle, who blew the turn for home but almost got back to win.
POST TO POST won her season debut in a $10,000 waiver claiming race at 1 mile on turf,, race 8. owned by Michael Lay, Michael Loughrey and Don MacRae, who trains, the Court Vision race was ridden by Kazushi Kimura. DANCING DOLL won her sixth career race in the ninth at six furlongs for Natural Eight Stable and Bill Tharrenos who has 3 wins this season. Emma-Jayne Wilson rode.
And Omar Moreno won his first race at Woodbine in a couple of years with GOLDEN VISION, who took race 10 on the turf for owners and breeders Gordon and Elizabeth Lickrish. Tino Attard trains.
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