WOODBINE OAKS – PLATE TRIAL SATURDAY
AVIE’S FLATTER, shown in an earlier spring workout at Woodbine, worked 1 mile at Woodbine in 1:38 4/5 last weekend and will pass up the Plate Trial Stakes – MICHAEL BURNS PHOTO
The first big weekend for Woodbine racing is this Saturday with the $500,000 WOODBINE OAKS and $150,000 Plate Trial part of a day of racing that includes simulcast of the Belmont Stakes.
The Oaks, the equivalent of the Queen’s Plate for fillies, is an important race in its own right but has also provided the Plate with starters. In fact last year’s Oaks-second, WONDER GADOT, went on to coast in the Plate.
The field for this year’s Oaks will not have the talent of Wonder Gadot or 2018 winner Dixie Moon at least at this point.
A field of possibly eight will be led by a trio of gals trained by Mark Casse. Only one filly in the probable field as of Tuesday morning has ever surpassed 80 on the Beyer Figure scale and that is Bold Script, who must rebound off a soft local return when 3rd in the Selene Stakes.
Trainer Mark Casse, busy with WAR OF WILL in the Belmont Stakes (G1) on Saturday told Thoroughblog with regards to his Oaks starters,
” I think our filly’s are nice, unfortunately we are a little behind with only getting sprints in Hasta & Speedy. It’s hard for me to say how they stack up with previous years. Can Speedy Soul stretch out ? Hope so but not sure.”
SPEEDY SOUL – Fury Stakes winner – owned and bred by Joe Guerrieri (Souper Speedy)
PREFERRED GUEST – 2nd Selene (G3) – CTHS Ontario yearling purchase owned by Nancy Guest, bred by Tom Rupert, John Felker and Billee Steinhoff (Society’s Chairman)
HASTALAVISTABABY – 2nd Fury – co-owned by Joe Guerrieri, Team Valor, Gary Barber, bred by Charles Hayden (Drosselmeyer)
BOLD SCRIPT – 3rd Selene – owned and bred by Chiefswood Stable (Speightstown)
DESERT RIDE – 2 wins on turf – owned and bred by Sam-Son Farm (Candy Ride Arg)
INTANGA ROSE – sprint winner – Stronach Stables (
SOUCIOLOGIST – sprint winner – Bill and Al Ulwelling owners, bred by Windhaven
LADY AZALEA – stakes placed – Windhaven
The PLATE TRIAL could have anywhere from 6 to 8 runners but the biggest news of that race is that AVIE’S FLATTER, currently a big favourite for the June 29 Plate, is passing the Trial to train up to Plate. The son of Flatter – Avie’s Empire worked 1 mile on Sunday in a super 1:38 2/5.
Trainer Josie Carroll, a two-time Plate winning trainer, no doubt dearly wants Avie’s Flatter’s owner Ivan Dalos to win his first Plate.
The team had Ami’s Gizmo and Ami’s Holiday finish second in the Plate in recent years.
So Avie’s Flatter will be off 44 days before the Plate, which really is not that much since others have done it, most recent SHAMAN GHOST, the 2015 Plate winner.
And SKYWIRE, who currently seems to be Avie’s Flatter’s main competition for the Plate, raced in the Marine Stakes (2nd) and won’t be in the Trial.
Left to race in the Trial are:
FEDERAL LAW – Queenston Stakes winner for Qatar Racing/ Mark Casse
DUN DRUM, Kingarvie Stakes winner – Joan Addison and partners. Ian Black
JAMMIN STILL – winner – Derek Chin- Kevin Attard
SEGUIMI – winner Bill and Anne Scott – Stu Simon
TONE BROKE – stakes placed – LNJ Racing/ R Baltas
also HESATHRILLER, THE NEWFIE EXPRESS and one of 2 maidens at Fair Hill for trainer Arnand Delacour.
BELMONT STAKES at BIG SANDY
TACITUS is favoured for the BELMONT STAKES on Saturday, part of a huge card of racing with many Grade 1 races.
WAR OF WILL, fresh off the Preakness Stakes win 3 weeks ago, is the only horse who will have competed in all 3 legs of the Triple Crown.
BrisNet pp’s for Belmont Stakes here – http://www.brisnet.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Belmont19Contenders3.pdf
Post Horse Trainer Dosage Jockey M/L Odds
1 Joevia Greg Sacco 3.80 Jose Lezcano 30-1
2 Everfast Dale Romans 3.67 Luis Saez 12-1
3 Master Fencer Koichi Tsunoda 2.50 Julien Leparoux 8-1
4 Tax Danny Gargan 1.56 Irad Ortiz Jr. 15-1
5 Bourbon War Mark Hennig 3.00 Mike Smith 12-1
6 Spinoff Todd Pletcher 2.78 Javier Castellano 15-1
7 Sir Winston Mark Casse 2.71 Joel Rosario 12-1
8 Intrepid Heart Todd Pletcher 2.50 John Velazquez 10-1
9 War of Will Mark Casse 1.72 Tyler Gaffalione 2-1
10 Tacitus Bill Mott 3.31 Jose Ortiz 9-5
TOP BEYER SPEED FIGURES FOR WINNERS IN CANADA – FRIDAY – SUNDAY
98 EL TORMENTA – turf
97 PINK LLOYD
90 FINAL COPY – turf
86 CONQUEST PANTHERA – turf
85 DRAGON BAY – turf
84 SUMMERLAND – Hastings, Emerald Downs H.
83 H IS JUST A NUMBER
83 ARTISTICO – turf
82 – SOUPER HOT – turf
SPEEDING HIS WAY TO THE TOP
3-year-olds by Souper Speedy 1-2-3 in Bold Ruckus
Ontario stallion SOUPER SPEEDY, his first crop of runners just 3-year-olds this season, is doing as well as most touted when that first crop hit the yearling sales two years ago. The son of Indian Charlie – Speed Succeeds by Gone West was last year’s top Canadian freshman sire and is currently 5th this year in Canada with 3 stakes winners.
His boys SOUPER HOT, SOUPER SUCCESS and CORDEROY ROAD finished 1-2-3 in the Bold Ruckus Stakes at 6 furlongs on turf at Woodbine Sunday.
His daughter SPEEDY SOUL will be one of the favourites for the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks on Saturday.
Souper Speedy, who stands at T C Westmeath Stud as property of a partnership, won 4 of 11 races in his career including his debut at 7 furlongs. He won the Jaipur Stakes through disqualification of Big Screen (also an Ontario sire) in the slop. All of his wins came at 7 furlongs but at 2 he was 2nd in the Grade 2 Remsen at 1 1/8 miles.
Souper Speedy has an immaculate pedigree as his dam is a daughter of DAIJIN (dam of champion Serenading and Sw Handpainted). The sire’s 3rd dam is Passing Mood, dam of With Approval, Touch Gold etc.)
MORE PINK and some RED AND GOLD
Saturday Woodbine
PINK LLOYD rolled to victory in the Greenwood Stakes worth $125,000 on Saturday, the Ontario bred 6 furlong stakes race that had been cancelled last weekend because of a thunderstorm. The extra week only delayed the inevitable for his rivals, especially two of them, Sumerian Bell and Circle of friends, who put on a wild show on the pace, going 21 2/5 for the first quarter while bombing down the backstretch. That only made things easier for Pink Lloyd who inhaled the fading speed and then held off charging Marten River to win for the 18 times in 23 races. His time was 1:08.98., a 97 Beyer Speed Figure. He has now earned over $1.1 million for Entourage Stable and trainer Bob Tiller.
Sumerian Bell was eased to a walk but was reported to be okay bu his connections post-race.
Later on the card was the Grade 2 Connaught Cup worth a whopping $175,000. The 7 furlong turf dash lured newcomer EMMAUS, a European invader for trainer Conor Murphy, who had just missed winning the Elusive Quality Stakes in his first race on this side of the ocean (Belmont Park). Emmaus was actually a slight second choice to the Yorkton from the Chiefswood Stable. Stakes winner Curlin’s Honor and stakes placed El Tormenta were other contenders.
Sitting between rivals and covered up around the turn it was Sam-Son farms’ gelding EL TORMENTA who charged to victory under Luis Contreras , out-battling Emmaus through the late stretch. Curlin’s Honor was third while Savage Battle was a troubled fifth.
El Tormeta, who showed plenty of promise last year but also had headstrong tendencies, was coming off a turf race at Keeneland in which he was leaping and climbing early on soft turf at 5 1/2 furlongs. He went off at a fat 7 to 1 for trainer Gail Cox. The winner is by Stormy Atlantic from Torreadora by El Prado. His time of 1:20.29 was good for a big Beyer Figure of 98.
Trainer RICKY GRIFFITH won his first 2 races of the season as the 2yo Ontario bred filly BAY SOCIETY won an open maiden race in her second career start for owners Paul Braverman and Steven Duffield. Bred by Murray Stroud, the filly is the first winner by Stroud’s freshman stallion SEEK AGAIN (Speightstown) who won the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby among other races.
Griffith’s other winner was SAV, an Ontario bred 3yo filly by Big Screen owned by Duffield.
The DON MACRAE barn continues to roll, winning the last race with BIONDETTI’S CHOICE, a big 5yo mare who won her maiden in this season debut on the grass. This gal is owned by MacRae and La Huerta Racing, the relatively new stable of Jim and Graeme Bruce.
The Bruce’s, MacRae and Michael Lay purchased last year’s sales-topping yearling, a filly by Old Forester, at the CTHS Sale, now named BOURBONSTRAIGHTUP.
Stewards for the AGCO were busy with a disqualification in race 2 on the grass of Gypsy Jazz who came in after the start. The stewards also continued to press the excessive whip violations as Jesse Campbell received a one day suspension from the win on Dragon Bay Friday and jockeys David Moran and Luis Contreras were set to meet Sunday for whip infactions in the Commaught Cup.
Wagering on the day was a whopping $6 million.
