The 77th MANITOBA DERBY, the first leg of the Western Canadian Derby series, runs this holiday Monday at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg. A field of eight was drawn for the 1 1/8 mile race on the dirt and Randy Howg’s homebred gelding TAKE CHARGE TOM (Tom’s d’Etat) was installed the 1-to-2 morning line favourite.
Trained by Robertino Diodoro, a four-time Manitoba Derby winner, Take Charge Tom was bred in Kentucky and he won the first three races of his career including the Lost in the Fog Stakes and Riley Allison Derby at Turf Paradise and Sunland Park, respectively. After a fourth-place finish to the Bob Baffert-trained Getaway Car in the Sunland Derby, Take Charge Tom won the Mine That Bird Derby and was third in the Texas Derby before he came to Assiniboia for the Derby Trial.
In the three-horse Trial, Take Charge Town and jockey Rasheed Hughes slowly wore down Just Trust Me while racing on the wrong lead and won by three-quarters of a length at five cents on the dollar. He earned 73 Beyer Speed Figure according to Daily Racing Form when winning the Trial.
JUST TRUST ME, by Bodexpress, has 16 races under his belt already including nine as a juvenile. Owned by Eugene Burns and Dewey Williams and trained by Williams, Just Trust Me has won five races on dirt and turf at distances less than one mile. The California-bred won the Fancy As Stakes at five furlongs in his Assiniboia introduction.
Also in the field is Woodbine invader MALDINI, a stretch runner who was claimed by Arnason Farms and Oslen and Cristina Belle for $40,000 in June. Trained at Woodbine by Sarah Ritchie, Maldini won a 1 1/16 mile claiming race in May, but was disqualified.
ACKNOWLEDGE, trained by Wendy Anderson, won his maiden for Repole Stable in December at Fair Grounds and was a $40,000 claim in May. The son of Authentic was fourth in his Assiniboia Downs debut on July 22 after a stumbling beginning.
ATTACK, purchased through a Fasig-Tipton Digital Sale in May from D.J. Stable, won his maiden at Woodbine in November and was recently fourth in an allowance race at Century Mile. Attack, trained by Craig Smith, is a son of Munnings.
BORDER SONG, by Tapiture, has won two of four races, but was well back on a wet-fast track in the Count Lathum Stakes at Century Mile most recently. MR JAWS, claimed for just $7,500 by Henry Witt Jr. from a win at Lone Star at seven furlongs on May 18, was a recent winner on grass at the same track. He had some trouble in his latest, also on turf.
WAR IS HELL, third of three in the Derby Trial, is by Om and he is one-for-13 in his career.
MANITOBA DERBY – $125,000; 1 1/8 miles; Monday August 4, Assiniboia Downs
Race 6 – Post time 10:40 EST
1 – BORDER SONG – B Boodramsingh, R VanOverschot 15-1
2 – ACKNOWLEDGE – D Bynoe, W Anderson 12-1
3 – MR JAWS – P Badrie, J Gourneau
4 – ATTACK – N Prescod, C Smith 8-1
5 – WAR IS HELL – C Pruitt, J Horner 50-1
6 – MALDINI – S Balroop, L Pruitt 15-1
7 – TAKE CHARGE TOM – R Hughes, R Diodoro 1-2
8 – JUST TRUST ME – A Whitehall, D Williams 5-1
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