Bright, bay and beautifully bold – INGLORIOUS takes the 56th Woodbine Oaks
Cindy Pierson Dulay photo
WOODBINE OAKS – PLATE TRIAL day
Stunning afternoon sees wagering spike, $4.4 million bet, up from $3.6!
INGLORIOUS – 83 – “If she’s doing well, she’s going (to the Plate”) – Verne Dubinsky
CHECK YOUR SOUL – 89 “He’s still maturing” – Roger Attfield
It was simply a sparkling day of horse racing at Woodbine on Sunday as fans packed stands in the sun Champions bar
was full and a fair number of longshots and favourites won to keep things exciting.
The featured events were awesome too – CHECK YOU SOUL has surged to the top of the heap of the Queen’s Plate
contenders with a spine-tingleing surge to quite an easy Plate Trial win in 1:51, good for an 89 Beyer Figure.
One race later, the action was wild as INGLORIOUS got up in time to beat a gritty SPOOKY KITTEN in the 56th WOODBINE
OAKS, the $500,000 opening jewel of the Triple Tiara for 3yo Canadian-bred fillies. Her score was a bit more
difficult but she pulled out her class and ran a career best 83 in her win under Woodbine’s leading jockey Luis
Contreras.
FLOWERS IN THE AIR – super shot from Norm Files
PLATE TRIAL, a closer look
When CHECK YOUR SOUL (Perfect Soul – Unchecked, unbridled) bumbled out of the gate, brushing the sides and coming out a few lengths behind the last horse, trainer Roger Attfield was very pleased.
He told media afterwards that Patrick Husbands wanted to let the colt run out of the gate and get a good position
but Attfield was happier that the colt was in last place early and getting some experience and biding his time. The
pace fractions were on the soft side, it seemed as if the track was slow a bit but also, Woodbine route races go
very slow early now as riders are taking hard holds of their horses.
So while the imposing BEAR’S CHILL, at 8 to 5, galloped along smoothly trough half a mile in 49 1/5, Check Your Soul
had one rival behind him.
At 6 furlongs in 1:13 and heading around the last turn, Check Your Soul rallied wide and Bear’s Chill suddenly
backed away and there was BOWMAN’S CAUSEWAY sticking his head in front off the turn. That colt had a much better
outing for Martin Schwartz after his Florida racing debacle over the winter. But Check Your Soul blew past, Husbands
eased him up and was patting him long before the finish line.
The colt is a nice one for owner/breeder Charles Fipke, who was followed intently into the winner’s circle by jubilant CBC people.
Check Your Soul won’t do much between now and the June 26 Plate, he’s a laid back fellow after he trains and Attfield only has to keep him healthy and happy to get his chance to break the all-time record for Plate wins.
GOOD BOY! Patrick Husbands pats Check Your Soul as the pair canter to the wire in the Plate Trial. Lots left for the Plate…CINDY PIERSON DULAY/WWW.HORSE-RACES.NET PHOTO
WOODBINE OAKS, closer look
The pace was extra slow in this race and SPOOKY KITTEN, recently bought by Roddy Valente, led most of the way under
Edgar Prado. Others were simply guzzled and could not fire. All except INGLORIOUS, who darted past the Kitten late to win the Oaks and stay unbeaten at Woodbine.
It was another workmanlike effort and while the filly has not been flashy, you can’t argue that Verne and Donna Dubinsky’s gal is the top of the class and worthy of a Queen’s Plate run.The team of the owners and trainer Josie Carroll keep their comments and ideas close to the vest but after the Oaks, they were a little bit more vocal.
Jurgen Schemmer’s AROSA FARMS bred Inglorious and sold her at the local sale for $90,000 to Ciaran Dunne, who invaded from America to buy the filly for the Dubinskys. Arosa had their own star 3yo filly years ago with Gandria, who won the Prince of Wales Stakes over Woodcarver.
VERNE DUBINSKY (blue tie) and his wife DONNA (left of him) celebrate Oaks Glory – how cute are those kids? Cindy Pierson Dulay photo
Ramsammy receives Memorial Award
TORONTO—Veteran T&T rider Emile Ramsammy was honoured with the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award in a ceremony during the Woodbine Oaks 10-race card yesterday. Ramsammy received the award at a special ceremony ahead of the day’s third race. The award is named after jockey Avelino Gomez who died after a fall in the 1980 Oaks. It is presented annually to a jockey who is Canadian-born, Canadian-raised, or has ridden in Canada for more than five years and has made a significant contribution to horseracing.
A statue of Gomez overlooks the walking ring at the celebrated Woodbine racetrack and the recipient is presented with a miniature replica. The 48-year-old Ramsammy, who won the Woodbine jockeys’ title 14 years ago, has ridden over 2,000 lifetime winners and remains one of the venue’s most recognisable figures. Last year, he rode in excess of 100 winners for the fourth successive season, in finishing sixth with earnings of over CAN$5 million. Ramsammy follows Jamaican George Hosang (2007) and Trinidadian Richard Dos Ramos (2002) as Caribbean riders to receive the
award
