Tyson Returns to NY for Woodward for Sikura, Carroll

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Famer JOHN SIKURA, owner of the Kentucky-based Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm, and Woodbine based trainer JOSIE CARROLL have had a lot of success together and on September 30 they send out two-time Woodbine graded stakes winner TYSON in the Grade 2 Woodward stakes at Aqueduct on September 30.

The colt has post 8 in the Woodward which is at 1 1/8 miles on the dirt. The race is the seventh at Aqueduct on Saturday. Javier Castellano will ride.

Tyson made his dirt debut last out in the 10-furlong Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) on September 2 at Saratoga Race Course, racing an even third down the backstretch and maintaining his position to finish 2 1/4 lengths behind the victorious Bright Future and late-closing runner-up Proxy. The gray son of Tapit earned a 100 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.

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“He worked great [last Friday] morning,” Carroll said. “He’s a pretty uncomplicated horse when he breezes. He did everything we wanted. He finished up strong and he galloped out well, so I’m pretty happy with what he did.”

Prior to the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Tyson raced exclusively on synthetic, earning a career-high 101 Beyer when capturing the nine-furlong Grade 3 Dominion Day on July 1 at Woodbine before delivering a knockout performance to win the Grade 2 Seagram Cup four weeks later. Tyson boasts a consistent 6-4-0-2 record and earnings of $345,205.

“We gave him a try on the dirt in a pretty tough spot, and he rose to the occasion so we’re certainly exploring coming back again,” Carroll said. “It was his first time on that surface and first time going that distance. He ran with some nice horses and held his own.”

Tyson, a Kentucky homebred for Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings and Stretch Run Ventures, is out of the Smart Strike mare Honouring, whose dam Teeming was conditioned by Carroll. The Canadian conditioner also trained Honouring’s stakes-winning full-sibling Treasuring as well as a pair of half-siblings in stakes-winner Cascading and stakes-placed Distracting. All hail from the prominent bloodlines of Better Than Honour and Reine de Course mare Best in Show.

“I’ve had probably three generations of that family and they’ve all been really talented horses,” Carroll said. “That whole line has been horses with a lot of ability. They’re horses that stretch out and like the two turns.”

Carroll also spoke of MyRacehorse’s Duke of Love, who ran fifth beaten three lengths in the Jocky Club Gold Cup while earning a career-high 99 Beyer. The 4-year-old Cupid bay entered that effort unbeaten in two starts over conventional dirt, including the Grade 3 West Virginia Governor’s Cup on August 6 at Mountaineer Race Course as well as last year’s Prince of Wales at Fort Erie – the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown.

Duke of Love also worked five furlongs [last] Friday, completing his move in 1:01.40, but will get some more time before making his next start, according to Carroll.

“Duke of Love, I thought, really moved up a step in his last race,” Carroll said. “He ran really well in the West Virginia race, and I think he moved up another step at Saratoga. He’s another one that I think is on an upward curve. He probably needs some more time in between, so we’ll probably wait a little bit with him to run him back.”