From four racing days last week, jockey SAHIN CIVACI piled on eight more wins to bring his Woodbine 2023 total to 78, just behind Rafael Hernandez (80) and leader Kazushi Kimura (98).
Hernandez and Kimura both had big weeks. Hernandez had five victories and Kimura, six wins, taking his first Canadian Triple Crown race on Touch’n Ride.
Other hot riders last week included apprentice Sophia Vives, who won seven races including the first three on Saturday, and Eswan Flores, who had a natural hat trick on Sunday and five wins for the week.
Trainer JOSIE CARROLL won five races last week and had three in a row on Saturday. Unfortunately, her trainee TYSON was outrun in the Grade 2 Woodward Stakes at Aqueduct on Sunday. Carroll has 30 wins at the meeting and sits fourth in the standings.
MARTIN DREXLER won three races on Sunday, Oct. 1, and his 58 wins at the meeting is not far off the best of his career at Woodbine, 70. He is also just eight wins shy of a career best number of wins for a year at all tracks. Drexler is second only to Mark Casse, 82 wins, at Woodbine this season.
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A sizzling fast main track (Tapeta) led to some very fast times on days that got progressively warmer as the week went on. The Tapeta seemed to play very favourably for front-runners on the weekend.
Ontario-breds MASON’S GAMBLE (Gamble’s Exchange) and BACHELOR PAD each posted Beyer Speed Figures of 90, according to Daily Racing Form, although the Beyers for Sunday’s races were not reported as of yet (Monday morning).
Bachelor Pad is a Not Bourbon six-year-old who won his ninth career race on Sept. 29 in front-running fashion, speeding 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16.13 in a $15,000 claiming/optional race for Bruno Schickedanz. Mason’s Gamble won a 7 1/2 furlong inner turf allowance/optional for $80,000 for Ivan Dalos.
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Grade 1 winning Ontario-sired and -bred SILENT POET (Silent Name (Jpn)), who has been in California racing for Stronach Stables and new owner Joel Hunsburger, won a 1 mile turf allowance race at Golden Gate Fields on Sept. 30. The eight-year-old is the newest Ontario-bred millionaire with $1,008,684 in earnings. He is trained by John Sadler. Silent Poet has 12 wins from 35 starts and he won the Grade 1 Highlander Stakes among other stakes when trained by Nick Gonzalez at Woodbine.
First-time starter JUNIOR HOT SHOT started Breeders’ Stakes day off with a bang as he won the 6 1/2 furlong race on Tapeta under a hand ride from Justin Stein. His time of 1:15.81 is sure to bring with it a strong Beyer Figure.
A son of Souper Speedy, Junior Hot Shot is a homebred for T and T Racing Team of Dr. Brian Van Arem. John Ross saddled the dark bay colt who was bought back from last year’s CTHS Ontario yearling sale for about $45,000.
Junior Hot Shot is from the unraced mare Executive Dream (a full sister to major sprint stakes winners Blonde Executive and Main Executive) who has had five previous named foals and four winners.
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Jockey Rico Walcott, who has been doing very well in his first season at Woodbine since arriving from Alberta, suffered a broken collarbone in a spill on Sept. 28.
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ROSA, a two-year-old filly by Street Boss owned and bred by Lanni Bloodstock and trained by Kevin Attard, won the $80,000 Presque Isle Debutante last week. The Kentucky-bred was ridden by Kazushi Kimura. Rosa, a debut winner at Woodbine, finished fourth in the Catch a Glimpse Stakes before her Preque Isle score. She rallied from far off the pace to win the 6 1/2 furlong race on Tapeta in a sharp 1:15.74 for a 77 Beyer Figure.
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