Top Winning Beyer Speed Figures in Canada
*Sunday not included as of Monday 10:30 a.m., check for updates
100 SILENT POET
83 ANALYZER
83 EXPRESS BANKING (Fort Erie)
82 DESOLATOR
82 MIGHT HEART
80 MNEMBA ISLAND
80 ENCIERRO
*Sunday Recap will be available tomorrow
SATURDAY – The recap of the Grade 2 Connaught Stakes on yielding turf is in a previous post. SILENT POET received a 100 Beyer Speed Figure for the victory.
More from Saturday, Ontario sired MNEMBA ISLAND is a Kentucky-bred by promising young stud Conquest Curlinate and this guy took race 2, an allowance/optional claiming race at 1 1/16 miles. This was the first winner for trainer Julia Carey this year and the grey fellow, who was wintered in Florida, posted an 80 Beyer Figure for the win for Frank Mermenstein and Goldie Racing.
Another nice Ontario-sired guy, as well as Ontario-bred, DESOLATOR, posted a career high Beyer Speed Figure with his win in the split of the same race. The 5-year-old by Court Vision – Flashy Episode by Bold n’ Flashy is owned and was bred by Brian o’Leary (co-bred by Jamie Begg) and is trained by Tony Gattellaro. The flashy fellow has 3 wins in 17 races and Jerome Lermyte rode.
A maiden special weight, race 4, had some possible 3-year-olds with dreams of maybe heading down the Queen’s Plate trail. Only one emerged with a decent chance to do that and it was Lawrence Cordes’ MIGHTY HEART, a homebred colt by Dramedy from the mare Emma’s Bullseye by City Place. Not exactly well-known breeding on this Josie Carroll trainee and this guy’s first 2 career starts came on dirt and turf at Fair Grounds. The dirt race saw him post a 64 Beyer Figure while fourth. He was impressive in this score at 1 1/16 miles with a good 82 Beyer Figure to boot.
So what about that breeding? Dramedy’s first crop are 3-year-olds of 2020 but he has since moved from Kentucky to Oklahoma and is now in Saudi Arabia. The son of Distorted Hunour won the Elkhorn Stakes at Keeneland at 12 furlongs on turf.
Emma’s Bullseye won her only race and that was for Cordes. Cordes has been in racing almost 50 years and his first stakes winner was Turkish.
A 2-year-old filly race was won by DESIGNED BY KITTEN, a Kitten’s Joy gal trained by Wesley Ward for Ken and Sarah Ramsay. This is a Kentucky bred gal who broke like a shot from the gate and zipped to the win, yet another for sizzling hot Luis Contreras.
John Staples was a winner with his 5-year-old gelding COURT BATTLE, who won an off-the-turf race for $15,000 claiming, The Court Vision gelding led most of the way through 1 1/16 miles under Jason Jet Lee Hoyte.
George Ledson, Willow Pond Stable and Anderson Farms had a win with ENCIERRO in another off-the-turf route race and he employed a similar strategy as Court Battle. While others in the race were behind him and getting into traffic woes (Timeskip) Encierro battled his way to a gritty score in this allowance/optional claiming race. Catherine Day Phillips trains and Emma Jayne Wilson rode. The Pioneerofthe Nile gelding has 2 wins in 10 starts.
Race 10 was a maiden optional claiming race and Cary and Paul Brooks brought their Archarcharch filly GLISTENING WATERS off a one-year layoff, added Lasix and blinkers and watched her come from well off the pace to win at 19 to 1 under Daisuke Fukumoto. The grey gal had shown ability in her lone outing as 3-year-old, The winner was claimed.
FRIDAY WOODBINE – another sizzling hot day and there were a handful of heat scratches from the 8-race card.
3 Sons Racing Stable, which has been a longtime client of trainer Robert Tiller, won its 100th race according to Equibase and not including partnerships, when FIRMLY GROUNDED won race 2. This 4-year-old by Victor’s Cry won his maiden for $14,000 claiming as the heavy favourite. Ivan Dalos bred the winner.
Bill Sorokolit Jr celebrated a win with EXECUTIVE SIGHT in race 1, the first outing in some time that the gelding by Court Vision got to shorten up to his best distance (5 furlongs).
Rafael Hernandez had the well timed, winning ride.
Race 2 was won by INTERESTING TIMES, a California invader for Alberta’s successful Riversedge Racing Stables Ltd. and trainer Tim Rycroft.
Read more on Riversedge Racing here
The filly edged BC owned and trained Grateful Praise. Patrick Husbands rode.
Not only was it sizzling hot on Friday but one of the hottest horses at Woodbine right now is KISSOFFIRE (Ire) who won his second straight race in a $,500 claiming event. At odds-on the 6-year-old former Euro fellow brought to Woodbine by Team Valor, won by 4 lengths with regular Skye Chernetz riding. Willie Armata trains for Alpine Stable.
Jockey Leo Salles was known as Longshot Leo last year and while the rider gets a lot of mounts on favourites now that he is established locally, he struck with 24 to 1 BAY OF RUM for Five Diamonds Racing on Friday. Trained by Shana Lopez, Bay of Rum was making his second start of the season in the $10,000 claiming race.
HUNGARY was well prepared for his maiden race at 1 1/16 miles on Tapeta, race 6, by trainer John Mattine and he led all the way to win at a nice 8 to 1 under David Moran. Owned by Realm Racing, this 4-year-old gelding is by Queen’s Plate winner Mike Fox and was bred by Joey Gee Thoroughbreds.
Trainer SID ATTARD got his first win of the season when classy, old GLENVILLE GARDENS reeled in rivals from about five lengths off a slow pace in a $25,000 claiming race on turf. Glenville Gardens, bred by Eugene Melnyk, raced for Janice Attard through 2018 but is now owned by Don Tiger. Glenville Gardens has 13 wins in 30 starts and earnings of over $580,000 (US).
And race 8 went to newcomer HANIEL, a grey Mizzen Mast mare, 6-years-old, who rolled up the rail to win a $25,000 claiming race at one mile in 1:33.89. This gal was racing at Tampa Bay Downs through all of 2019 and was obtained by trainer Mark Fournier for a partnership. Those partners are Fournier, Chris McEachern, Dean Zaniol, Andrew Scott Leith and Quarter Horse owner and trainer Craig Spada.
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