In a span of two months, Colin Davis and his family’s Apricot Valley Thoroughbreds experienced the lowest of the lows and the highest of the highs.
In early August, Davis watched a two-year-old they bred, Marcus J, win his debut race by eight lengths in 1:10.88 for owners Al and Bill Ulwelling and trainer Kevin Attard. The fleet chestnut by Hard Spun, from the Apricot Valley mare Johansson, put up an 79 Beyer Speed Figure. Sadly, a month later, Marcus J collapsed and died after setting the pace in the Grade 1 Summer Stakes.
There was some consolation for Davis and family when RAPID TEST, owned in partnership with Kingfield Farm, upset the $100,000 Overskate Stakes at Woodbine on October 26. Rapid Test, taking full advantage of his freshness (he had only made one other start since December) tracked last year’s Overskate winner Hunt Master under jockey Austin Adams between rivals, such as 2-to-5 favourite Awesome Bourbon early in the 7 1/2 furlong race on turf listed as ‘good’.
Hunt Master went slowly enough to think he could wire the field – his half-mile mark was 47.76 – but Rapid Test was too strong in the late stages, edging past for a half-length score in 1:30.18. Society’s Thunder rallied for third, while 3-to-1 shot Cruden Bay, a popular horse in the media this year, was fourth. Awesome Bourbon was fifth of six, despite recording a 99 Beyer Figure in a win on Woodbine Mile day in September.
For jockey Adams, who missed some time from the saddle recently when injured in a spill, it was his second stakes win of the weekend, as he won the Eternal Search Stakes aboard Little Teddy on Saturday.
This was the second stakes win for Rapid Test (Souper Speedy – Arch Tigress, by Arch) who gave Davis and Day Phillips a win in the Elgin Yearling Sales Stakes in 2023.
“I knew there was going to be speed in the race and my plan was to break good, not to be too far back, and save as much ground as I could,” said Adams. “I wanted to get the jump on Awesome Bourbon – that was kind of the plan – and it worked out perfectly.”
Day Phillips, on hand to buy Rapid Test at the 2021 CTHS yearling sale for $22,000 from breeder Joey Gee Thoroughbreds, said Rapid Test had trouble getting to the races this season.
“He had a few setbacks early in the season and we actually sent him to the farm,” said trainer Day Phillips. “He hung out with Todd, my husband, for a month, and they brought him back very carefully and he hasn’t put a foot wrong since. He was also turned out with (retired multiple graded stakes winner and Day Phillips trainee) Mr Havercamp, so I think he was a good influence as well.”
Woodbine wrap
RAFAEL HERNANDEZ maintains a three-win lead for the jockey title over apprentice PIETRO MORAN, who won three races on Sunday.
The Tapeta surface has been slow for the past week and while the inside and speed bias disappeared early in the week, it came back on the weekend.
The photo below shows a maiden special weight race at 1 mile and 70 yards on Saturday where a number of fillies went very wide around the second turn.
A maiden special weight race for two-year-old fillies at Woodbine on Saturday was won by the promising Liveoaks Viewpoint (far right, leading on rail). Racing against the strong bias, from 7-wide, left to right, Ashlee B, Vanity, Golden Harvest, etc.
Longtime owner RANDY EXELBY and dozens of horseplayers were left gobsmacked after race 4 on Oct. 24 when two horses had terrible starts that significantly altered the race to the point most believed it should have been declared a ‘no contest’.
Exelby’s EVER DANGEROUS, who had been declared a non-starter only a couple of starts earlier, was having his bridle adjusted in the gate last week and jockey Eswan Flores was standing on the side of the starting stall. The gates were opened and Ever Dangerous jumped out without Flores and proceeded to win the race without his jockey. Meanwhile Walter Me Lad, in the gate next to Ever Dangerous (and both horses are trained by Martin Drexler), waited while his header was helping Ever Dangerous. Walter Me Lad was still being held when the gates opened.
Only Ever Dangerous was refunded and that was only for people who had the gelding in vertical exotics and flat bets. Pick 4 and Pick 5 bettors, etc. were left with the favourite Hemlo Gold, who allowed Lasting Silence to lead through very slow pace fractions and could not pass.
Aside from the Senior Steward’s report that stated that Ever Dangerous’ rider was not mounted when the gates opened and the bets on the gelding were refunded, the only other note was that Walter Me Lad was deemed to have a fair start. According to Exelby, calls made to Woodbine about the incident were not returned.
The inquiry video is below:
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