A solid day of racing and stakes action at Woodbine Oct. 18 completed a long week of 40 races including 23 on the weekend.
Sunday’s card was supposed to be Canadian International day, one of Ontario’s most famous races that had some special runnings at Long Branch and of course on the Marshall/inner turf at Woodbine. It was the race that Secretariat ended his career with.
But the COVID-19 pandemic put an end to a lot in the world and at Woodbine, a shortened season meant cuts had to be made from the front side to the racetrack. The International was cancelled for 2020.
The E.P. Taylor (G1), however, was kept and the $600,000 race, inaugurated in 1956, was the big money event on Sunday.
With fans shut out from tracks throughout 2020 and owner visits and indoor dining curtailed a week ago after being allowed for a few weeks, plus the absence of any European horses, it was tough to get jazzed up about the Taylor and the Grade 1 Northern Dancer, also held on Sunday.
The one race that did provide wonderful thoughts and memories was the front-running score by SILENT POET in the Grade 2 Nearctic Stakes for trainer Nick Gonzalez, whose wife, assistant and one of the most popular first ladies of the Woodbine community, passed away recently.
A wrap (some files edited from press releases):
ETOILE (Siyouni (FR) – MIlena’s Dream (IRE) by Authorized (IRE), runner-up as the favourite when invading from New York for trainer Chad Brown in the August 15 Dance Smartly, made amends at Woodbine on Sunday by taking the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes by a neck under rider Rafael Hernandez.
Court Return, an improving half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winners Channel Maker and Johnny Bear, closed resolutely on the far outside to finish second as a rank 41 to 1 outsider in the field of seven for the $600,000 race over 1 ¼ miles of the renowned E.P Taylor turf course.
“It was a good trip,” said Hernandez, who was riding his meet-leading 12th stakes winner. “I called Chad this morning and he told me, ‘Raffi, try to get a good trip like last time. Just make sure you clear down the stretch.’
“He told me he’d been working the horse a few times and he put her outside of other horses, and she’d be finishing great.”
Theodora B., who had defeated Etoile by three-quarters of a length in the Dance Smartly over the same course and distance, assumed her preferred position on the front end while carving out fractions of :26.44, :51:03 and 1:15.50 over the ‘good’ course.
Elizabeth Way prompted the pace from second on the outside with Etoile sitting pretty while in easy striking distance in third on the inside.
Turning for home, Hernandez swung Etoile off the rail and was getting to Theodora B. as the mile went in 1:38.68.
Two lengths in front with a furlong to go, Etoile had enough left to prevail with Court Return ending two lengths to the good of third-place Secret Message.
Rideforthecause, coming off her first stakes win in the 1 1/8 mile Canadian, was unable to mount a serious challenge while another half-length back in fourth.
Theodora B., Pretty Point and Elizabeth Way completed the order of finish. The final time was a solid 2:03.12.
The E.P. Taylor also was the final leg of Woodbine’s “Ladies of the Lawn,” a four-race turf stakes series for fillies of mares consisting of the Nassau, Dance Smartly, Canadian and E.P. Taylor Stakes.
Elizabeth Way, the Nassau winner owned by John McCormack, ended third and fourth in the ensuing legs and finished with 19 points for the top bonus prize of $50,000. Second money of $15,000 went to Etoile with 17 points, and $10,000 for third, to Canadian winner Rideforthecause with 13. Points were awarded on a 10-7-5-3-2 basis for the top five finishers in each stakes with one point earmarked for other also rans.
Etoile, a French-bred four-year-old owned by Peter Brant, Mrs. M. V. Magnier, and Mrs. Paul Shanahan, was recording her first Grade 1 win and first victory of any stripe in just her third start this side of the pond.
In the E.P. Taylor, Etoile returned $7, $3.60 and $3.40 as the co-5-2 second choice with Theodora B.
SAY THE WORD, who has gone through a series of trainers and various types of races in his career, won his first stakes race in the Grade 1 Northern Dancer.
The son of More Than Ready – Dancefothecause by Giant’s Causeway, owned and bred by Sam-Son Farms and trained by Gail Cox, had a smoother journey in the Northern Dancer than he did in the Singspiel in his previous race and turned the tables on his stablemate Count Again who won the Singspeil.
Sent off at 5-1, Say the Word, struck front in the late going and fended off a late surge from Sir Sahib to claim victory in the 1 ½-mile marathon run over a ‘good’ E.P. Taylor Turf Course.
It was slight mutuel favourite Admiralty Pier who swept to the front soon after the gates opened, with the son of English Channel, under Steve Bahen, leading his rivals into the first turn. Peace of Ekati took up residence in second spot, with Jungle Fighter and Count Again (Say the Word’s Sam-Son farm stablemate) sitting in third and fourth, respectively. Say the Word and Wilson were eighth and last.
As the field rounded the turn, Say the Word was given his cue from Wilson and the duo launched their bid on the far outside, as Admiralty Pier clung to a head advantage with challengers beginning to shorten his lead.
Seventh at the stretch call, Say the Word began to methodically pick off his rivals one-by-one, eventually taking over the lead but then quickly tasked with fending off a late-charging Sir Sahib.
At the wire, Say the Word was one length in front of Sir Sahib, while Admiralty Pier finished a head in front of Count Again for third spot.
The final time was 2:29.87.
Say the Word was racing for a claiming price of $62,500 in June at Woodbine and August at Saratoga. He won the latter race at 51 to 1. The 5-year-old has been trained by Graham Motion and Neil Howard in addition to Cox.
A now five-time winner from 25 starts, Say the Word, who contested two-thirds (Queen’s Plate and Breeders’ Stakes) of the 2018 Canadian Triple Crown, notched his first added-money win in taking the Northern Dancer.
SILENT POET brought on misty eyes as he charged to his Nearctic win for Stronach Stables and Nick Gonzalez. The trusty Ontario-bred 5-year-old by Silent Name (JPN) – Cara Bella by Ghostzapper held City Boy safe to win by half a length under Justin Stein.
After almost every step of the 1,320 yards run, Silent Poet came out on top a half-length winner in a time of 1:08.57. City Boy finished three-quarters of a length ahead of Kanthaka, who fended off Olympic Runner by a neck for third.
In the last strides, announcer Robert Geller exclaimed, ‘This one’s for you, Martha.”
“It has a lot of meaning,” said Stein, who is enjoying a fruitful 2020 season. “People watching on the outside might not understand, but the family here, the community at Woodbine, I’m sure they were cheering big for this horse for reasons that we all know.”
Stein, who has eclipsed the 100-win mark on the campaign, knew just what to expect from Silent Poet at the beginning of the Nearctic and at the end.
“He just leaves the gate so quick. He hits his stride right away. With a horse like that you get position and just slow him down, save as much horse as you can, and he does the rest. He loves his job, and when you ask him to run, he just gives you everything. He tows you down the lane.”
The win was the fourth from five starts in 2020 for the ultra-consistent dark bay, who now sports a record of 10-4-2 from 18 career starts.
Silent Poet now has three graded titles to his name having won this year’s Connaught Cup (G2T) and the 2019 running of the Play the King (G2T).
HELIUM aired in the Display Stakes for 2-year-olds, one of few Tapeta main track races on the day. The son of Ironicus – Thundering Emilia by Thunder Gulch floated by for a big win under Emma-Jayne Wilson. Helium is now 2 for 2 and he is owned by D J Stables and trained by Mark Casse.
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