It was a racing afternoon of many highs, too many lows and uncontrollable emotions. We move on to the Queen’s Plate with heavy hearts but with an interesting group of Canadian bred 3-year-olds including track record setting Academic, winner of the Oaks.
The day was packed with fans and they bet with both hands – $6.2 million compared to $4.1 million in 2014 the biggest Oaks day in history.
wow, we are all alone! JUSTIN STEIN looks back and sees London Tower coming (red blinkers) but his tough little gal Academic is long gone in the Woodbine Oaks! CINDY PIERSON DULAY PHOTO
We remember Danzig Moon – here he is on his way to the paddock for the Plate Trial – photo by Julie Wright
It’s all…ACADEMIC!
66 to 1 Bear Stables filly wins Woodbine Oaks on emotionally charged day at Woodbine
There is no telling how fast a 3-year-old can improve once the classic season begins.
ACADEMIC, a smallish daughter of Henny Hughes out of Awesome Lass by Awesome Again, had just one race in 2015 for her owner, Danny Dion of Bear Stables, and trainer Reade Baker. She won it, that maiden race at 1 1/16 miles in somewhat desperate fashion as she led all the way and held off Tancook to win by a neck.
Actually, Academic was at the starting gate for another race a couple of weeks earlier but she acted up in the gate and had to be scratched.
“She can be very bull-headed,” said Baker about the little keg of dynamite.
So, here she was for the Woodbine Oaks, a field of 10 going to post for the 1 1/8 mile classic worth $500,000 but the fans weren’t biting – she was 66 to 1.
More fancied in the race, a lot more, was the tall and leggy bay monster of Steve Owens known as London Tower.
She was bet down to 4 to 5 off her Fury Stakes win while others such as Brooklynsway and Season Ticket took some support.
The game plan was simple for jockey Justin Stein, who was on the filly for the first time (Luis Contreras rode her in the maiden win) – go to the lead again and see what happens. Well, he sure went to the lead as the filly reached out and drove to the lead from post nine and cleared the field by the first turn. The first 2 furlongs in 23 3/5 was quick but Stein had a good hold on the eager gal and then slowed things down a bit with a 48 half mile time.
On the turn for home, Academic skipped away again with a little burst and by that time, the race was over. She opened up four lengths and then coasted to the wire as London Tower came fast and furious but too late.
The time of 1:48.86 beat the track record set by River Rush in the Plate Trial in 2012 (1:48.97).
“At those odds, they just left her alone on the lead,” said Baker. “It was a great ride.”
Alan Garcia on London Tower said his filly “… was sitting down a little bit [in the gate] and she did it again like the first time (winning the Fury Stakes). It was an unlucky break. The winner was loose on the lead and took it away.”
Season Ticket rallied to be third while SHEZ A MASTERPIECE was never focused as she was blatantly “in heat” during post parade.
Academic was bred by Dr. John Brown’s Spring Farm and went unsold as a yearling at the CTHS sale for $20,000. The filly had some nice breeding as half sisters Awesome Fire and Secret Wish were stakes winners.
Henny Hughes, a Grade 1 winning son of Hennessy who entered stud in 2007, had been modest at stud but for one horse, the brilliant filly BEHOLDER, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
Academic was then sent to trainer Ricky Griffith, who trains for Dr. Brown, and she was entered in the April 2yo sale last year in Ocala. The Bear and Baker offered a bid of $54,000 and took the filly home. She had worked 2 furlongs in 22 flat for the sale.
“She looked a bit small but I have had good luck with small horses, they tend to stay sounder,” said Baker.
Academic raced three times as a juvenile, 9th and 4th in sprints and then 2nd in a route race to Shex a Masterpiece.
Baker sent the filly to Vera Simpson and Mike Dube’s farm in Waterdown, ON for the “Curraghmore Cure”.
“I sent her to Curraghmore to heal up some minor issues,” said Baker. At Curraghmore, Simpson uses TheraPlate http://www.theraplate.com/ , a wave-vibration technology where a horse stands on a large “plate” (something like when they get weighed). The technology is aimed to improve circulation, bone density, muscle mass and reduce joint pain and help with hoof growth.
“She came back to Woodbine in the spring 100%,” said Baker.
The next step for Academic (already named when Bear bought her) is the July 5 Queen’s Plate and she could join stablemates Bear at Last and Breaking Lucky in the 1 1/4 mile classic.
Thumbs up! ACADEMIC with her peeps – owner Danny Dion (fourth from left), Janis Maine (far left) and trainer Reade Baker (suit) CINDY PIERSON DULAY PHOTO
PLATE TRIAL
DANISH DYNAFORMER surges to the late Trial win over Conquest Curlinate, whose hood seems to be over his right eye
In deep stretch of the 1 1/8 mile Plate Trial, Charles Fipke and his team were screaming at the top of their lungs as he homebred colt churned his way to the lead on his way to victory.
But at the quarter-pole, Danzig Moon was being attended to for a broken hind leg, an injury so bad that he could not be saved.
These events never get easy to take, to explain, to forget. It almost always seems to be the good ones and when the race is on TV. The good ones, they say, never sulk with the pain, they run through it, they don’t take of themselves.
Danzig Moon, 5th in the Kentucky Derby and the favourite in the Trial, was a popular colt in Kentucky and Toronto with his big, white blaze and good looks. Bred by Bill Graham, Danzig Moon was making his first start on Polytrack for owner John Oxley and trainer Mark Casse. He was in a good stalking position when Julien Leparoux heard the break. R U Watchingbid then careened into the stricken horse, sending Emma-Jayne Wilson to the ground. It turns out everyone was okay except for Danzig Moon.
At the finish, DANISH DYNAFORMER, trained by Roger Attfield, won over Conquest Curlinate and Conquest Boogaloo, the latter who ran a miraculous race to be third. Portree was 4th. The time of 1 49.81 was a second slower than the Oaks.
His Beyer Figure was 83, compared to 84 for Academic, according to Daily Racing Form.
So, what does this mean for the Queen’s Plate in 3 weeks time?
Thoroughblog likes the chances of Danish Dynaformer but has moved Marine Stakes winner Shaman Ghost up to 1st place in the rankings.
See the main page for Thoroughblog for the top 10.
Also on Sunday – QUINCY WELCH was presented with the Avelino Gomez award (below)
