Woodbine Sunday: Triple For Josie Carroll, Arzak Takes Jacques Cartier

Sunday, May 15 was a big day at the races for trainer JOSIE CARROLL, who sent out three winners from five starters plus the fourth-place finisher in the Grade 3 Jacques Cartier Stakes, won by the dominant American-based colt ARZAK.

Carroll, a member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, is now just one victory away from 900 career wins since she began training in 1994.

Her team at Woodbine, which includes assistant trainer Sue Lorimer, has sent out 5 winners from its last 12 starters.

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The Tapeta surface continues to favour horses staying away from the rail path, but front runners can still be victorious.

Mark Dodson’s recent purchase EPHRATA (GB) got the Carroll-roll going in a big way with a giant 9 1/2-length win in a maiden allowance at 7 furlongs on Tapeta. Bred by Juddmonte Farms, Ephrata was bought for $279,627 at the 2021 Tattersalls December Mares Sale following six career races in England which included four placings.

The bay 3-year-old filly by Ghostzapper – Grand Jete by Dansili, under Luis Contreras, came from more than six lengths off the pace to win in 1:23.14, the slightly faster split of the maiden allowance for fillies.

The second split also went to a Carroll trainee, the Chiefswood Stable homebred beginner PIONEER’S EDGE, who ran to her breeding and workouts with a workmanlike score from just off the pace under Justin Stein. The grey daughter of Pioneerofthe Nile from Leading Edge by Tapit is a half-sister to debut winner Edge of Fire.

Carroll completed the triple when sending out Ivan Dalos’ MACLEAN’S POSSE to an impressive win in an allowance race, returning from a layoff of 19 months. The bay 4-year-old colt by Maclean’s Music from Beautiful Posse by Posse won the 6 1/2 furlong sprint by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:10.06 under Luis Contreras.

The barn also sent out the unbeaten STRIKER, owned by LNJ Foxwoods, to a fourth-place finish in the Jacques Cartier, his first race since December and first stakes attempt.

The $151,200 Jacques Cartier belonged to ARZAK, who led all the way through six furlongs to win in 1:08.91 under Kazushi Kimura. Owned by Marc Tacher’s Sonata Stable, Arzak had won the Thorncliffe Stakes at Woodbine in his season debut, April 17, and set a track record for 5 1/2 furlongs. Trained by Michael Trombetta and saddled at Woodbine by Darren Glennon, Arzak won his maiden at Woodbine in 2020 and in 2021 won the Tom Ridge Stakes at Presque Isle.

Arzak is four-for-six on synthetic dirt and three-for-three at Woodbine.

Tacher bought Arzak for $575,000 as a 2-year-old in training in 2020 at the Ocala April juvenile sale. The colt is by Not This Time – Delightful Melody by Giant’s Causeway and he was bred by John Oxley.

Tacher owns, breeds and sells horses and is a leading owner in Puerto Rico, where he was raised. Tacher owns a share in Camerero racetrack.

More Sunday

Trainer Don MacRae is 11-3-3-3 to begin the season and he won two races last week including race 1 on Sunday with Michael Loughrey’s homebred filly MAMMA CARRIE. The Giant Gizmo filly was ridden by Omar Moreno and she led all the way to take the maiden $10,000 claiming race.

STOP THE HUMBUG ended a long winless streak with a narrow win in race 2, a 1 1/16 mile race for non-winners of 2, claiming $14,000. The Skipshot 6-year-old is owned by Michael Edwards and trained by Richard Morden. Luis Contreras rode the Humbug.

REAL MONEY won a 5 furlong sprint for $40,000 claiming for owner Gary Barber and trainer Mark Casse and it was the 6-year-old’s first win since 2020. The Real Solution gelding was ridden by Kazushi Kimura.

What a week it was for Hazel Bennett and trainer Katerina Vassilieva. A day after they won with impressive maiden winner Rondure (Oxbow), the handsome 6-year-old ROARING FORTIES flew to a big win in his season opener, a $62,500 optional claiming race at six furlongs. The Florida-bred by Stormy Atlantic was making his first start since being gelded. It was the fourth career win for Roaring Forties, who was ridden by Rafael Hernandez.

Another well-prepared winner on Sunday was MITZI, who led all the way to win a 6 1/2 furlong maiden allowance in her first race since November 2020. Trained by David Bell for owner John Kertesz, Mitzi (Silent Name – Silver Spring by Langfuhr) tipped her hand with a rapid 45 1/5 workout time from the gate on April 30. Mitzi was bred by the late Gus Schickedanz and she was ridden by Kazushi Kimura.

Favoured LOAD ABROAD, owned and bred by Paul Mouttett in Ontario, won the last race, a maiden $15,000 race. The Reload filly was ridden by Justin Stein and she is trained by Sid Attard.

Wagering on Saturday and Sunday at Woodbine topped over $10 million.