Two Ontario sired sprint stakes for older horses headlined a long card of racing at Woodbine on July 5. Twelve races were run due to last Thursday’s card being cancelled because of a sewer leak and sinkhole in the Tapeta. Racing was also cancelled on Friday, and thus there will be a card today.
The Pink Lloyd Stakes, named for one of Canada’s greatest sprinters, and Ballade Stakes, named for one of the most influential Canadian broodmares gave opportunities to horses a rung below the top stakes horses. Each race was worth worth over $100,000.
Favoured for the Pink Lloyd at 6 furlongs was Souped Up, who was second in the 2024 edition to the brilliant Patches O’Houlihan. But the gelding’s speed style conflicted with that of Go Kart Mozart and POULIN IN O T (Reload) and that pair were locked in their own race from the start. Through the first half mile with fractions of 22.47 and 44.77, Poulin in O T, with Ryan Munger riding, and ‘Mozart’ under Eswan Flores, the two speedsters opened up a long lead on the others. Poulin in O T, owned and trained by Steve Owens, edged away from Go Kart Mozart and held on to win over a closing Awesome Bourbon in 1:10.08.
A very consistent chunky chestnut gelding, Poulin in O T has been lightly raced in the last couple of seasons but in 2022, he would three stakes races in his first five races as a juvenile. He wouldn’t win again until January of 2025 in a $35,000 claiming race at Gulfstream Park in Florida and he went on hiatus in May of that year. Poulin in O T returned this past March at Gulfstream and won an allowance/optional claiming race before he was third in the Thorncliffe Stakes.
Munger was riding the gelding for the first time since 2023. “The 7 horse (Mozart) broke very sharp. My original plan was to be in front and hope no one hooked me,” mused Munger. “When I saw the 7 coming so fast, I said I can alter course, be on his outside and relax him where he’s comfortable. And that’s what I did and when he felt he was ready to go and challenge, he took it up and he won a very good race.”
Poulin in O T has a record of 23-9-2-6 and earnings of over $485,000. He was bred by Owens and his late wide Beverly Lewis-Owens. The dam, Town Dance, by Dance Brightly. was bred by Lewis-Owens’ Empress Stable and she has also produced stakes winners Seffeara and Zazinga.
Two races later, the Ballade was tabbed as a probable walk-in-the-part for LITTLE TEDDY (Frac Daddy), surprise winner of the Sovereign Award for Champion Female Sprinter in 2025. Little Teddy was second in the Ballade last year but did win two Ontario sired stakes races.
But a hot pace in the Ballade took its toll on anyone on the lead or chasing the pace and SINCLAIRITY (Souper Speedy) came from far behind with a rally to win at 10-1 for Canuck Racing Club and trainer Kevin Attard. Ridden by Pietro Moran, Sinclairity dropped well off a hot pace set by Cara Cara and stakes winner Olivia Rose. Little Teddy was in between a group of fillies and mares chasing the duelers. Into the stretch, Little Teddy was sent to the lead but she ran out of gas while Sinclairity, making her stakes debut, rumbled past with Home for a Rest also rallying.
Sinclairity won by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:10.54.
A $26,000 yearling purchase from the CTHS Ontario sale four years ago, Sinclaiirty was part of the first small batch of horses raced by the higher-level syndicate called Canuck Racing Club. She won the first three races of her career, with a long layoff between, and had been picking up seconds in optional claiming races since then. She broke through for a win on May 31 and now has 5 wins in 13 races. She was bred by Tabitha Lee and is from the mare Heres Mud Inyr Eye by Court Vision.
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