Woodbine’s opening day has arrived!
The first horse entered for racing on opening day at Woodbine 2024 was the gritty older mare MISS BOBBIT from trainer Gord Colbourne’s barn. Miss Bobbit, who came within a head of winning her first race of 2023, also on opening day, is in race 2 of 10 on Saturday and Emma-Jayne Wilson will ride the eight-year-old.
It would be somewhat fitting if Miss Bobbitt could win on opening day. Her owner, Shirley Prosser of Box Arrow Farm and Colbourne have been racing horses together at Woodbine since the 1970s and there simply aren’t too many owners and trainers still around from that era.
Woodbine’s opening weekend came up a bit thin on entries but on par with opening weekend in 2023. All tracks are struggling with horse population but for Woodbine, once the races stretch out from five furlongs and turf racing is added, the fields will grow.
The stakes features, the $125,000 STAR SHOOT STAKES at 6 furlongs for three-year-old fillies and the $125,000 WOODSTOCK STAKES at 6 furlongs for three-year-olds on April 28, bring together the ready sprinters.
Lori and David Hughes of Men’s Grille Racing, based in Maryland, have their Ontario-bred filly C C ROYAL in the Star Shoot and the daughter of Flatter – Summer Reading by Hard Spun is now trained by Mark Casse. Casse had an owner that wanted to buy the filly after she won an optional claiming/allowance race on March 3 at Laurel Park but the Hughes did not want to sell.
A $140,000 Ocala Breeders’ Sales April two-year-old, C C Royal was a $55,000 weanling sold by Denali Stud for breeder Windways Farm. Muir Farm bought the filly and she was a $100,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by Granpollo Stable. C C Royal, an attractive chestnut, worked one furlong in 10 seconds for last year’s April sale before she was bought by the Hughes.
The filly won her maiden second time out by 8 2/4 lengths and was third in the Xtra Heat Stakes before her recent win. This will be her first try on Tapeta and Patrick Husbands will ride.
Casse, fresh off another Sovereign Award for Outstanding Trainer, has two other fillies in the seven-horse Star Shoot field. DANCING DUCHESS, by Munnings, is already a stakes winner for Tracy Farmer and is also an Ontario-bred, the result of a mating derived by small-scale breeder Mitch Kursner.
Newcomer Winsome Beauty, also owned by Farmer, comes off a maiden win at Turfway Park in November.
Favoured for the Star Shoot will be MYSTIC LAKE, trained by Florida’s top trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. for C2 Racing Stable and Stefania Farms. The daughter of Mo Town won her maiden at Woodbine last year and was second in the Glorious Song stakes and third in the Mazarine Stakes (G3). This year the dark bay speedster has won the Gasparilla Stakes and Sophomore Fillies Stakes, both at Tampa Bay Downs. Tyler Conner is in town to ride.
Completing the Star Shoot field is the promising maiden SABATINI (Uncle Mo), MISS ROBERTS (GB) who is a turf winner overseas and recently worked four furlongs on turf at Palm Meadows in a stunning 45.60, and stakes winner ROSA.
Woodstock Stakes, first run in 1885
Star Shoot entrants Dancing Duchess and C C Royal could find themselves on the trail to the Woodbine Oaks and/or King’s Plate later this year and Woodstock entrants MIDNIGHT MASCOT, COUNTRYBOYSURVIVE and NAPTOWN are all eligible for the Plate.
On form from last year, Midnight Mascot, owned by Manfred and Penny Conrad, figures to be heavily favoured. giving Casse and jockey Patrick Husbands a big shot to win both stakes races. Midnight Mascot was second by a neck in the Clarendon Stakes to the very good Frac Dancer on Dec. 2. The son of Army Mule was bred by Yvonne Schwabe.
Countyboysurvive, by Audible, is a maiden after a pair of fifth-place finishes in tough races at Gulfstream Park. Tucci Stables’ colt is trained by Nick Gonzalez.
Naptown, by Munnings, was fourth in the Coronation Futurity for trainer Graham Motion and is adding Lasix for his return to action.
Premier Ford, Mayor Chow Re-open Woodbine Community Garden
There will be a special ceremony on Saturday, April 2 at 12:30 p.m. as Woodbine celebrates the reopening of the Woodbine Cares Community Garden.
Located on the grounds of Woodbine Racetrack in Rexdale, the Community Garden was created in 2016 to grow and donate fresh food to local community organizations addressing food insecurity. Unfortunately, like many things during the pandemic, the project had to be suspended, but Woodbine is excited to be relaunching this valuable project.
Premier Doug Ford and Mayor Olivia Chow will join Woodbine Entertainment CEO Michael Copeland, Minister of Infrastructure Kinga Surma, Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism Michael Ford, and local City of Toronto Councillor Vincent Crisanti in a ceremonial vegetable planting at the community garden to officially welcome its return.
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