Turf racing returned to Woodbine Racetrack on the first week of June and four days of racing were held in spectacular early summer weather. The weekend wagering of $13 million was a result of larger fields on the turf.
The E.P. Taylor course was much kinder to speed and was very firm – several horses flirted with course records. The Tapeta main track, still not yielding fast times, played fair for the most part last week.
Two very different stakes races were held on the weekend with BOARDROOM rallying to win the tough Grade 2 Royal North on turf and then DREAMING OF DREW galloping away to a front-running score in the $100,000 Belle Mahone Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on the Tapeta.
Owned by Hoolie Racing and Madaket Stable, Dreaming of Drew (Speightster – Dreaming of Liz by El Prado (Ire) has been brought back from a 1 1/2 year layoff by trainer Barbara Minshall in fantastic form. She won the Long Branch Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs to begin the year and was recently third behind Boardroom in the Grade 3 Whimsical.
In the June 5 Belle Mahone, jockey Kazushi Kimura, picking up the mount from Patrick Husbands who was engaged to ride 2021 Champion Older Mare Skygaze, allowed Dreaming to Drew to bound to a clear lead with an opening quarter in :24.60, Dreaming of Drew was 1 ½-lengths ahead of Il Malocchio after a half-mile reached in :49.11.
As the field rounded the turn for home, Kimura and Dreaming of Drew expanded their lead, as Il Malocchio and Munnyfor Ro, last year’s Sovereign Award winner as Canada’s champion three-year-old female, attempted in vain to track down the leader.
Dreaming of Drew crossed the wire a 2 ¾-length winner. Il Malocchio bested Munnyfor Ro by three-quarters of a length for runner-up honours. Alydiva was fourth. The final time was 1:44.08.
Minshall was understandably pleased with how the winning blueprint came together for the Ontario-bred.
“She was really comfortable,” offered Minshall. “I just told him [Kimura], ‘Let her be comfortable.’ I didn’t see a lot of speed in here. I thought the seven [Skygaze] might show a little bit more speed. I said, ‘If no one goes, you just do what you want to do. She can more than wire this group.’”
Precisely what Dreaming of Drew, now 4-2-1 from eight career starts, did on Sunday afternoon at Woodbine. Dreaming of Drew was bred by WinStar Farm LLC.
Kimura, who is also riding at Presque Isle when Woodbine is dark, won eight races locally last week.
*JULIA CAREY, in her 25th year of training, has had a fantastic start to 2022 with 5 wins from her first 15 starts. She sent out two winners last week and no doubt the most exciting of those was LAC MACAZA, the exciting 3-year-old bay colt who won his season opener at 1 1 /16 miles over older horses with a smart 82 Beyer Speed Figure.
The colt was bred by Frank Mermenstein’s Discovery Racing and Elliot Kohn and Mermenstein now race the colt with Goldie Stables. Lac Macaza was hip number 1 at the 2020 CTHS yearling sale but was bought back for $19,000.
Lac Macaza (a spot in the Laurentians), who was winning his third straight race after finishing second in his debut, is a son of former Ontario sire Giant Gizmo and is the second foal of graded stakes-placed Garavogue Colleen, a grey daughter of Sligo Bay (Ire).
Garavogue Colleen was bred by Mermenstein and Kohn but raced for Mike Doyle and Dura Racing. The mare’s first was Four Bounce who is a maiden. Second dam Kiamika, a winner, has produced stakes-placed Crumlin Queen and the good four-time winner Mnemba Island.
Carey and the Mermenstein team also won on Sunday with BANFF, who remained unbeaten in two races with a victory on the turf for $25,000 claiming. The Hill ‘n’ Dale-bred son of Silent Name – El Tara was claimed by Randy Exelby.
*SEAN AND DORTHY FITZHENRY, who upped their game in breeding and racing in Ontario, also selling Ontario-breds in the U.S., are 3 for 6 in 2022 after winning just one race in the last three seasons.
The Fitzhenrys, who bred and raced 2018 Woodbine Oaks winner DIXIE MOON, cheered on that mare’s full brother BASKETBALL JONES who won his career debut on Saturday in a turf sprint in fancy fashion. The Curlin – Dixie Chicken by Rahy colt set a fast pace in company and then drew off to win in 1:19 4/5 for seven furlongs at 17 to 1. Catherine Day Phillips trains. Basketball Jones is a Canadian Triple Crown eligible. On the same day, another of the Plate eligibles BILL NEEDLE (Distorted Humor – Game (Fr), by Montjeu (Ire)), missed by a neck in a maiden special weight to favoured ALLEGORICAL, also a Plate hopeful and a homebred for Brian O’Leary.
The weekend roll continued for the Fitzhenrys and Day Phillips as SISTER SEAGULL impressively flew past two speed runners to win her maiden on June 5. Sister Seagull is by Hard Spun from Sweet Kitten by Kitten’s Joy. She was bought back for $95,000 by the Fitzhenrys from the 2020 Keeneland September sale.
Canadian Thoroughbred‘s Queen’s Plate and Woodbine Oaks update post will be available June 7.
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