More than half of the races run at Woodbine August 5-8 were won by different trainers and some 15 horses changed hands through bread-and-butter races over the four days.
The majority of last week’s races were claiming events and just two stakes races were run on the weekend, the restricted Lake Huron and Georgian Bay Stakes, but it was a good week for a wide variety of horsepeople, many of whom won their first races of the 2021 season.
Multiple race-winning owners and trainers included Heste Sport, Al and Bill Ulwelling, Martin Drexler, Zeljko Krcmar, Kevin Attard, Paul Buttigieg and Mark Casse.
The Ulwellings, who hail from Minnesota and are strong supporters of Ontario racing, have won six races from their last eight Woodbine starters, all trained by Kevin Attard.
Jockeys who had multiple wins included Emma-Jayne Wilson, Justin Stein and Kazushi Kimura with six each, Daisuke Fukumoto had three and was away one day riding Mighty Heart at Mountaineer, and Rafael Hernandez won four.
Canada’s reigning Horse of the Year MIGHTY HEART made a trip south to West Virginia to compete in the Grade 3 Governor’s Cup at Mountaineer and finished second to Sprawl, whom he had beaten in the Blame Stakes at Churchill Downs in May. Larry Cordes’ one-eyed wonder returned to Woodbine Sunday and will get ready for a three-race fall campaign.
Here are some of the winners from the week:
Sunday – Warren Wilcox sent out SEA LILY to win race three on Sunday, his first winner of the season. The fast filly has been the only starter for Wilcox this far in 2021 and she won for the trainer and co-owner C. Murray for $9,000 claiming.
Evette Chartran-Hoek saddled her first winner of the meeting as GOLDMINE CAT posted an 11-to-1 upset in race four for $25,000 claiming. The Ontario-bred son of Goldencents – Smart Catomine by Smart Strike rallied to win the six-furlong Tapeta dash under Justin Stein for owner Sue Leslie.
You had to be impressed by the last-to-first rally by first-time starter CHAIRMAN BOB in race six, a maiden optional claiming event for juveniles. The son of Society’s Chairman – Clare’s Bernardine by Action this Day was one of two winners on Sunday for the Ulwellings and Kevin Attard. The colt had the rail post but was relaxed in the back under Rafael Hernandez and then charged past his rivals to win by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:11.36. Tim Meeuse and Arika Everatt-Meeuse bred Chairman Bob, who was a $44,000 CTHS yearling purchase.
STEVE ATTARD sent out his first winner of the season and that was longshot FEDALIA (Fed Biz) who won her maiden in a 6 1/2 furlong turf sprint by a nose. Owned by Racing Canada, Sheldon Pettle and Gilbert Sharpe, Fedalia was ridden by Keveh Nicholls.
Saturday —The $80,000 Lake Huron Stakes and Georgian Bay Stakes, two parts of the eight-stakes series for Ontario-sired sophomores, the Ontario Sire Heritage Series, took place Saturday afternoon at Woodbine Racetrack.
Ontario Racing and its Thoroughbred Improvement Program (TIP) Committee unveiled the series in March. With a total purse structure of $750,000, the Heritage Series will feature a total of four races – three opening legs and one final – for both 3-year-old colts and 3-year-old fillies that are sustained to the Ontario Sires Stakes program.
FOREST SURVIVOR won the Lake Huron, outbattling All Canadian on the pace through a quarter-mile of :21.72 and getting clear to win as the 1/2 favourite by 1 ¾ lengths in :57.33, good for a 77 Beyer Figure. The Lake Huron was race nine on Saturday and came after a heavy rainstorm delayed the races briefly mid-afternoon, ultimately making the turf courses a bit slower and the Tapeta surface a bit faster.
Owned by Bruno Schickedanz and trained By Norm McKnight, Forest Survivor had won an optional event in his previous start also at five furlongs on turf and he has now won three of eight races and earned over $128,000 (US). Bred by John Carey, the colt is by Old Forester – Bear’s Kitty Kitty by Rockport Harbor and was a $13,000 yearling purchase by Ricky Griffith and later claimed for $25,000. He is the first foal to race for his dam.
Galvaston closed in late to finish second, while Jocularity and Dragon’s Brew completed the top four.
The Georgian Bay Stakes for fillies saw the maiden filly ARTFUL BALLERINA noticeably checked hard, losing ground on the field before recovering and impressively charging up a wide-open rail for jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson. The William Sorokolit and Vandyk Sunny Stables homebred is trained by Darwin Banach.
“She just lost her hind end a touch,” said Wilson post-race. “I thought somebody maybe clipped her heels, maybe she just cross-fired a little. Young horses, still learning, this Inner Turf is unique and challenging on any given day and going five-eighths first time on it and we were tight to the rail and maybe she just didn’t quite take the turn…she just lost all momentum.
“When she got her legs under her, I snapped her on the shoulder and just picked her back up into my hands and she was there. She’s run on every time she’s run, but when she re-rallied and quickened it was like we were shot out of a cannon.”
The early battle in the five-furlong sprint saw Benny’s Button and Humble Beginnings duel through a :22.02 quarter-mile, before the pair led the group of six into the lane. Artful Ballerina was fifth at the head of the lane before rocketing by rivals to win by two lengths.
Meet The Soprano rallied for second, while Sunsprite was third and Benny’s Button dropped back to finish fourth. The final time was :56.96 for a 72 Beyer Speed Figure.
A daughter of Town Prize – Artful Dancer by Artie Schiller, Artful Ballerina had finished second in each of her first two career starts prior to Saturday’s maiden-breaking score. A $2 win ticket returned $14.30. She is the third foal to race for her dam who comes from four generations of Bill Sorokolit Sr. breeding.
First-time starter SILENT RESENT, a two-year-old dark bay filly owned and bred by Joey Gee Thoroughbreds, was an impressive winner of her debut outing on Saturday. By Silent Name (Jpn) – Resentless by Trajectory, Silent Resent was prepared by trainer Andrew Smith and ridden by David Moran.
Last week: ANTHONY POTTINGER sent out his first winner as SUNDANCE HIT won race one on Friday in his third race of the season. Trainer SHELLY FITZGERALD had one of the most impressive training jobs of the week when she brought GIANT ILLUSION back from a 19-month layoff to win her maiden on Thursday despite being passed in deep stretch. The Hat Trick (Jpn) four-year-old won the $14,000 maiden claiming race for owners Martin Wickins and Patrice Likamshum as well as Fitzgerald. Giant Illusion’s half sister JILL won on the weekend for Barbara Minshall.
DANCING DOLL, BETWIXTING and BELLA NINA each won races last week to become the three, three-time winners of the season.
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