The summer season of racing at Woodbine is coming to an end and the running of the King’s Plate marks a change in focus, locally from the Canadian-bred three-year-olds to the older horses and grass.
King’s Plate wrap
MANSETTI, a colt owned by Ontario racing’s adopted family, Al and Bill Ulwelling, earned an 87 Beyer Speed Figure according to Daily Racing Form, for his front-running win in the 1 1/4 mile classic. He earned $600,000 for the win and cost the Ulwellings just $40,000 (US) at auction.
“Our agent, whom we trust, Clay Scherer, picked him out from the Ocala Breeders’ Sales’ April two-year-old sale last year,” said Al Ulwelling. “He said he would probably go for $150,000.”
Ulwelling was a bit taken aback when he got the colt for almost one-quarter of that price, but said everyone who engaged the son of Collected through his early training from Kentucky to Ocala liked the horse.
Upon winning first time out Mansetti, threw a clunker when sixth in the Display Stakes, but he then won the restricted Clarendon. After trying the Jerome over a deep track at Aqueduct, Mansetti was sent back to Kevin Attard at the Caledon East Training Centre for the winter.
Attard admits that he didn’t think there was much chance that Mansetti would be a Plate horse because of the 10-furlong distance, but the horse matured and Attard trained him with precision. Sensing the colt was set to move up in form again after a botched run in the Queenston and a Marine Stakes win, Attard by-passed the Plate Trial with Mansetti, and it paid off.
The mark of a true horseman.
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The Coronation Futurity ‘jinx’ is still intact, as the 2024 winner Notorious Gangster couldn’t quite work out a win. The Plate favourite at 7-to-2 was shuffled back a bit into the backstretch and was behind the modest pace like others. He came along for third as he is a hard-trying fellow and earned an 80 Beyer Figure, but he was 4 1/2 lengths behind at the finish for his media-shy owner/breeder Mark Dodson and rider Fraser Aebly. The last Coronation winner to win the Plate was Norcliffe in 1975/76.
As far as the September 9 Prince of Wales Stakes on the dirt at Fort Erie, Mansetti and Scorching are headed that way, as is another Ulwelling three-year-old, the maiden Magna Time.
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Brand new Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame trainer MIKE DOYLE won his first two races of the season when C. Scott Abbott’s CAPTIVATING NAME broke his maiden in race 1 on Aug. 17 at 22-to-1. Bred by Abbott, Captivating Name won the maiden $40,000 claiming race with a last-to-first rally under David Moran.
Doyle then won with favoured newcomer MISS BODACIOUS (GB), who won an allowance/optional claiming turf dash in her second race in Canada. A $115,000+ purchase last fall at Tattersalls, Miss Bodacious, by Zoustar, came to Doyle by way of Brian Lynch in Florida.
Doyle also sent out VENENCIA (FR), by Recoletos (Fr) to a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf on Saturday. Venecia, who won the Forever Together Stakes at Aqueduct last fall, was third in the Canadian Stakes (G2) in her previous race.
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Through Sunday, PIETRO MORAN remains the leading rider at Woodbine by wins but it is a close race:
Rider / Wins – Starts – % Earnings
Pietro Moran / 68 – 395 – 17% $3,193990
Rafael Hernandez / 62 – 295 – 21% $2,967,215
Sahin Civaci / 59 – 284 – 21% $2,621,263
Leading Owners
Owners / Starts – Wins – Purses
1 Bruno Schickedanz / 178 – 31 – $941,637
2 Ulwelling, Al and Bill / 34 – 10 – $914,274
3 Gary Barber / 76 – 18 – $910,572
4 Chiefswood Stables Limited / 58 – 11 – $677,180
5 D. J. Stable LLC / 43 – 8 – $628,028
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Geese on the track aside (last race Sunday) trip handicappers would have had a field day taking notes on horses last weekend at Woodbine.
Race 2 – August 16 (Saturday) – a maniacal pace battle began this race and then horses bearing out badly on the first turn of this inner turf maiden race caused interference. Tab Miss Boujee for next time.
Victory Achieved had a troubled run in the Grade 3 Bold Venture Stakes, won by loose leader Simcoe. The Mark Casse trainee lost momentum and lengths when checked on the rail on the turn for home.
The King Edward Stakes (G2) unfolded with two horses going full throttle on the pace early in the one-mile turf event. Piper’s Factor and War Strategy dueled each other into submission (a second quarter in 22 2/5) and set the race up for the last horse to move, Gas Me Up, one of three straight Kevin Attard stakes winners in succession.
Others such as Shadow Realm and Hay Hay Paula, Tom’s Magic in the Plate, Giant Teddy and Outlaw Kid all had troubled trips on the weekend.
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ARTEMUS CITYLIMITS may have been winning for the first time in three years when he took the Vice Regent Stakes on Sunday, but owner Dwight Baron likely was not surprised. According to trainer Martin Drexler, Baron, who claimed the Ontario-bred in 2023 for $62,500, asked Drexler this spring if he could try and win the Vice Regent with the Temple City eight-year-old gelding.
From there, Drexler raced Artemus Citylimits (who had been raced by Ken Ramsay, Wesley Ward, Mike Maker and others the years) just once, in a June $47,000 claiming race at 5 furlongs on turf, and the gelding was a troubled third.
Two months later, with apprentice Xarel Forde riding, the gelding rallied to win the $150,000 Vice Regent by a neck at 19-to-1.
Artemus Citylimits is from the stakes-winning mare Dene Court and he was bred by Gunpowder Farms, LLC.
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READY FOR CANDY, at one time a top contender for the Woodbine Oaks and King’s Plate, finally returned to the races this past weekend and won a maiden race at Saratoga by more than 7 lengths with an 86 Beyer Figure. A $400,000 purchase by Lindy Farms from the February Fasig-Tipton Digital sale, Ready for Candy was sold by Robert Marzilli. Ready for Candy is by Twirling Candy – Enoree and she was bred by Mark Dodson.
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Keep an eye out for the Godolphin mare WILD PANSY (GB), a five-year-old who arrived at Woodbine earlier this summer. The daughter of Siyoun (Fr) recently discovered Polytrack in France and won two straight races last fall.
Now in the barn of Kevin Attard, the mare has been working fast on the Tapeta and may be another star in the Attard barn.
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