The son of one of Canada’s all-time leading stallions, Bold Executive, Sand Cove needs just over $36,000 in Canadian earnings to become our newest millionaire. Owned by Barbados resident Ralph Johnson, Sand Cove was one of three champions trained last year by Roger Attfield, who was also named the year’s outstanding conditioner.
Purchased by Johnson at the 2006 Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society yearling sale at Woodbine for $60,000 (U.S.) from breeders James and Janeane Everatt and their daughter Arika, Sand Cove won once as a juvenile but quickly became one of the stars in the Attfield barn. He was one of the country’s top three-year-olds in 2008, reeling off scores in the Vice Regent, Bunty Lawless Stakes and the Ontario Derby. Two of those scores came on the grass while the Derby was contested on Polytrack.
The horse saw limited action in 2009, but took the Elgin Stakes for yearling sales graduates in his six-race campaign. He began 2010 in April in the five-furlong Debut Stakes on the opening day of the season and finished fifth. Following another fifth-place finish in an allowance race on the turf, Sand Cove quickly got back on track with a win in the Steady Growth Stakes at 1 1/16 miles against Ontario sired rivals.
After picking up third place in the Ontario Jockey Club Stakes, a turf sprint, Sand Cove left the cozy Ontario-sired ranks to try the Grade III Seagram Cup. Meeting tough nuts such as champion Field Commission and Janice Attard’s Stunning Stag, Sand Cove and his regular rider Richard Dos Ramos lulled the field to sleep with a slow early pace and powered away to win by a length.
A month later, Sand Cove could not repeat in the Elgin on Labour day but won the Overskate Stakes in late September. He chased champion Rahy’s Attorney when second in the Bunty Lawless and then capped off a fine season with a 6 -length romp in the Sir Barton Stakes. ‘He’s a real competitor,’ said Attfield. “He’s an interesting horse to train. He can be very aggressive in his stall. But when he comes out, he’s relaxed.”
Sand Cove’s dam, Mythical Status, is a daughter of Mythical Ruler, who stood at the Everatt’s Shannondoe Farm in the 1980s. Mythical Status also produced fleet juvenile stakes winner C’n Stars, a top runner in 1998. The mare finished fourth in the voting for the 2010 Outstanding Broodmare category behind Destroy.
