The third day of the 2022 Woodbine Thoroughbred season was a thrilling one for longshot players and almost every race on the day resulted in a double-digit payoff for a $2 wager.
The longest shot of them all came in the featured Welcome Back Handicap, a $50,000 starter handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs on the Tapeta, won by P413 Racing’s ELEKTRONIC and jockey Eswan Flores, who won three of the day’s nine races.
Trained by Desmond Maynard, Elektronic, making his first start since November 2021 when sixth in a $20,000 claiming race, broke sharply from his rail post, cleared the good field and then held on to win by a neck at odds of 24-to-1. His time of 1:02.97 was good for a career-best 93 Beyer Speed Figure, according to Daily Racing Form.
The 6-year-old bay gelding by City Zip – Karakorum Elektra by Freud, was winning for the first time since September 2020 when he won a grass trainer for former owner Linda Rice.
P413 Racing is the stable name for owner Handel Viarruel, a partner in a software company and former employee at Woodbine Racetrack. P413 refers to the bible verse, Philippians 4:13.
Not only did Viarruel’s horse win, but his friend Eswan Flores, whom he brought to Woodbine to ride, had his biggest day since he arrived last summer.
“It was a lot of fun” said Viarruel. “Not only did Eswan win three, but one of those was on my horse.”
Flores, the leading apprentice jockey on the California circuit in 2011, began riding Quarter Horses at Los Alamitos. He met Viarruel in California early in 2021.
“I met him when I was out there racing in California,” said Viarruel. “I became somewhat of a mentor for him, encouraged him to come to Canada.”
Flores began riding at Woodbine later in the 2021 season but was sidelined by a shoulder injury. He spent much of the winter resting in Tobago.
Flores’ first win on the April 23 card was the first race when he guided Ron House’s TRADING BAY, trained by Darren Glennon, to victory in a $40,000 optional claiming race at six furlongs. That was the 400th career win for Flores. Trading Bay, one of several winners on the day to start from post one, is a homebred by Giant Gizmo and it was her third career win and 18th start.
Flores also won the last race aboard HIGH SOCIETY GIRL for owner John Scott and trainer Francine Villeneuve. That filly, by Fed Biz, was making her first start of the season in the $7,500 claiming dash.
Elektronic wintered in Ontario in the Fort Erie area with trainer Maynard and in the Welcome Back Handicap he defeated Fielder and heavily-favoured Reconfigure.
More Saturday winners
John Burness’ Colebrook Farms had its first winner of the meeting when SNEAKY REBEL won her maiden in race 2, a $25,000 optional claiming race. Entered without the claiming price in the waiver event, Sneaky Rebel came from fifth place in the 5 1/2 furlong race to win under Justin Stein, who picked up the mount from Olaf Hernandez. Sneaky Rebel, trained by Patrick Dixon, is a Signature Red filly bred by Paul Buttigieg.
Race 3 was another maiden race, a $40,000 optional claiming dash at 5 furlongs and Ross and Brenda McKague’s VERDEJO was well prepared by trainer Julia Carey to win her 2022 debut. The 3-year-old by Fed Biz placed twice in five races in 2021 and responded well from a good ride by Emma-Jayne Wilson to win by 4 3/4 lengths at 5-to-1.
Hidden Springs, Inc. and Jim Fielding’s 3-year-old gelding HIDDEN HONOR, a Queen’s Plate eligible, was a smart winner of a maiden allowance, race 4. The son of top sire Honor Code – Elysian by Smart Strike came from well off the pace to win the 6 furlong race in 1:10/.19 for a 75 Beyer Speed Figure. Hidden Springs’ Kevin McKinlay purchased Hidden Honor from breeder Anderson Farms Ont. Inc for $25,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The colt was third in his debut in 2021 for trainer Kevin Attard before going unplaced in the Cup & Saucer and Coronation Futurity. Tino Attard now trains the dark bay.
Chris and Ian Howard celebrated a win in race 5 with their speedy filly BID ONCE, a chestnut by California Chrome, who led all the way under Steve Bahen to win race 5 for $25,000 claiming.
DIRTY DANGLE, a stakes winner in her second career race as a juvenile in 2020 won for the first time since then in race 7, an allowance/optional $62,500 claiming race at 5 furlongs. A grey Kentucky-bred by Not This Time, Dirty Dangle was purchased privately just before her Woodbine Cares Stakes win in Sept. 2020 by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber and transferred to trainer Mark Casse after the race. She was second in the Star Shoot Stakes in June in just a four-race 2021 campaign.
Casse’s team came right back to win race 8 with front-runner JOIN THE DANCE (Shackleford) who was favoured in the allowance race for fillies and mares. The 3-year-old is owned by D J Stable and it was her second straight win following a maiden score last November.
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