February is upon us and appropriately there is a lot to love about horse racing as the march to spring continues.
Ontario horsepeople will be planning their arrival to the Woodbine backstretch when it opens in a couple of weeks.
In the U.S. there is a trio of early Kentucky Derby stepping stone races on Saturday, February 5 and one of them, the 1 1/8 mile Withers Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct, is expected to be the first race of 2022 for Canada’s probable 2-year-old colt champion, GOD OF LOVE (Cupid). The flashy chestnut 3-year-old with that unique splash of white spots on his face has been working at Palm Meadows in Boynton Beach, Fla., and is headed north for his first dirt track attempt.
God of Love won the Grade 3 Grey Stakes on Tapeta and the Cup & Saucer Stakes on turf for Gary Barber and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and trainer Mark Casse.
The Withers is likely to also attract COURVOISIER, owned by John Sikura Jr. and James Spry. Courvoisier worked five-eighths in 1:02.41 On Jan. 28 over the Belmont dirt training track in preparation for Saturday’s Withers.
“He’s doing well,” trainer Kelly Breen said. “He breezed Friday by himself. It was a maintenance workout and he’s good to go.”
The regally-bred Tapit chestnut is out of Grade 1 winning 2014 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Take Charge Brandi, who is a half-sibling to multiple Grade 1-winner Omaha Beach. Courvoisier graduated at fourth asking traveling nine-furlongs in December at the Big A ahead of a 1 1/4-length score in the one-turn mile Jerome contested over a sloppy and sealed main track on New Year’s Day, garnering 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points.
Breen said he is taking a cautiously optimistic approach to contesting the Kentucky Derby.
“We nominated him, but one race at a time,” Breen said.
At Gulfstream, the HOLY BULL STAKES offers 10-4-2-1 points for the Kentucky Derby and it looks like an eight horse field for that 1 1/16 miler race including Remsen Stakes (G2) winner MO DONEGAL, GIANT GAME, third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) and TIZ THE BOMB, second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1).
Santa Anita presents the Robert Lewis Stakes on Sunday for Derby hopefuls.
*MRS. BARBARA, a leading contender for Champion 2-year-old Filly in Canada when the Sovereign Awards are announced in April, has been gearing up in workouts at Casse Training Centre. The Mazarine Stakes (G3) winner, owned and bred by Jim Lawson, had a third workout of 2022 on Jan. 28 of 48.60 for four furlongs.
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