The weather continues cold and windy in southern Ontario and that helped speed runners dominate races on May 2 at Woodbine.
The first graded stakes race of the season was the WHIMISCAL STAKES (G3) for fillies and mares at 6 furlongs and it was one of the few races in which the winner did not lead all the way. Gary Barber’s newest acquisition, Ms Bucchero, a winner of 10 of 20 races, was making her all-weather track debut in the Whimsical, but went too fast on the pace and faded.
Taking advantage was BAG Racing Stables, Turf Express, Inc. and Watkins Diamond Stables’ REAGAN’S FLAME, who won her first stakes race with an off-the-pace run under Woodbine champion rider Sahin Civaci, who was in town for the day. Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., who just took over the mare from Martin Drexler, Reagan’s Flame ran the distance in 1:10.11 for a career best 96 Beyer Speed Figure.
Previously owned by David Ingordo and trained by his wife Cherie DeVaux (who would make history later on Saturday), Reagan’s Flame was bought by Watkins Diamond in April 2024 at the Keeneland Horses of Racing Age sale for $35,000. The five-year-old mare is by Canadian-bred Flameaway and from the Mizzen Mast mare Mizzen Donald.
Civaci, flown out to Woodbine by Joseph, talked about his pre-race decision-making:
“I don’t look far ahead before the races. When I got here I looked at the replays of this horse and I saw that it’s been running routes, so seeing the six furlongs today, I’m like ‘oh oh’. Post parade, she seemed sharp so I had confidence. I just wanted the speed to go and she did her thing down the lane.”
The highest Beyer Figure of Saturday was the 99 earned by 2022 King’s Plate winner PARAMOUNT PRINCE, who looked like the ‘Prince’ of old with a sizzling front-end score in 1:22.91 for seven furlongs. The race was a match between ‘Prince’ and last year’s Plate winner MANSETTI, but the latter could never catch his older rival.
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