YEARLINGS

UPSETS IN GRADED STAKES AT WOODBINE

Summer Sunday streak stopped; Silent Poet is ‘King’ for a day

Just like her mother Tribal Belle did 10 years ago, ALNILAH won her first stakes race in the Seaway Stakes at Woodbine.

The victory in the Grade 3, seven furlong sprint for fillies and mares, was a big upset as heavily favoured Summer Sunday could not hold off Alnilah, who had broke slowly and trailed the field. Summer Sunday had won three stakes races in succession.

Not only was the Seaway the first stakes win for Alnilah but she was making her first start for trainer Terry Jordan, who was winning his first race in seven years having left the sport at that time.

Jordan, who trained in Vancouver and then had a good six-year run at Woodbine, had two suspensions for positive tests on sprinter Hollywood Hit in 2010 and 2012. He returned to B.C. and considered retirement or training only in Vancouver.

But Jordan is back and took over the training of Alnilah from Danny O’Callaghan about a month ago. Patrick Husbands took over the riding from Kirk Johnson. Alnilah is by Smart Strike and she has four wins in 16 races with earnings of oever $245,000.

She is owned and was bred by Mike Wiltshire’s Canvasback Farms.

SATURDAY, the 4-year-old SILENT POET won the Grade 3 Play the King Stakes at 7 furlongs on the turf and went a sizzling time of 1:19.22 on the very firm turf. That edged the previous course record of 1:19.38 set 15 years ago by Soaring Free.

Silent Poet, who won the Ontario sired Vice Regent Stakes last year, won his 2019 season opener over El Tormenta who had won the Grade 2 Connaught Cup in June but had been fourth in the Grade 1 Highlander. When a projected pace battle did not materialize in the Play the King, Silent poet tracked lone front runner Sable Island, overtook that one and went on to win by just over a length.

Stronach Stables own and bred the Silent Name fellow out of the Ghostzapper mare Cara Bella. Nick Gonzalez trains and Gary Boulanger rode.

CANADIAN YEARLINGS SALES COAST-TO-COAST

Check out this CTHS guide to Canadian yearlings sales with links to dates, breeder award programs, catalogues and more.

CANADIAN PREMIER YEARLING SALE THURSDAY AUGUST 29

273 yearlings at the Woodbine sales pavilion

Some of the larger consignments:

ADENA SPRINGS NORTH, AGENT offers 6 yearlings including three by Summer Sunday’s sire Silent Name.

BALLYCROY TRAINING CENTRE has 14 in the book including youngsters by Souper Speedy, Animal Kingdom and Noble Mission.

BUTTIGIEG TRAINING CENTRE OFFERS MORE THAN 20 by sires such as Tapiture, Commissioner and first year Ontario sire Ami’s Holiday.

CARA BLOODSTOCK HAS 10 in the sale including Society’s Chairman and Verrazano babies.

JOHN CAREY sells a full brother to PINK LLOYD, a grey colt in his large consignment.

SUE FOREMAN  has colts by Flat Out, Giant Gizmo plus two yearling colts for daughter Katie Browne and her husband Brian Bell, by Souper Speedy and Ami’s Holiday.

HILL ‘N’ DALE has yearlings from the first crop of Grade 1 winning American star TOURIST in its big consignment.

RICHARD HOGAN has a variety in intriguing prospects by SKY MESA, GIANT GIZMO, FLAT OT and others.

NORTHERN DAWN, which stands RELOAD, has a filly by that sire who is a half sister to Horse of the Year LEXIE LOU.

SHANNONDOE has plenty of nice yearlings in the sale by Bodemeister, Society’s Chairman and others.

SPRING FARM’S CONSIGNMENT is all, but one, by its sire Big Screen, a good young sire in Ontario and WILLOW RIDGE FARM, which sold the 2018 sale topper Bourbonstraightup, has Old Forester, Reload and Souper Speedy yearlings.

WOODLANDS (Gail Wood)  Wood has yearlings by exciting young stallions such as DIALED IN, SOUPER SPEEDY and this year’s leading first crop sire in Canada, FRAC DADDY. Wood also offers a colt from the first crop of Ontario stallion RELOAD, a half brother to one of Canada’s top sires Philanthropist. That colt, hip no. 108, sells for Minshall Farms.

CANADIAN MILLIONS NIGHT at WOODBINE

Wednesday, 6 stakes for sales graduates

A full brother to PINK LLOYD, a half sister to LEXIE LOU and a half brother to Bison City Stakes winner Speedy Soul from the first crop of Grade 1 winner Tourist are just some of the hot horses at the upcoming Canadian Premier Yearling Sale on Thursday beginning at noon.

The evening before has six stakes races for sales graduates and here are the horses racing Wed. night with siblings in the sale:

RACE 1 MOC $40,000

#2 Born to be King Hip 38 1/2 sis by Old Forester

RACE 2 HALTON

#2 Ethical Funds Hip 254 1/2 bro by Society’s Chairman

#4 Cooler Mike Hip 85 1/2 bro by Big Screen

#5 Prideofdistinction Hip 254 1/2 bro by Society’s Chairman

RACE 3 KENORA

#3 Pink Lloyd Hip 103 full bro

RACE 4 ALGOMA

#1 Hell N Wild Hip 78 1/2 sis by Ami’s Holiday

#2 She’s Got Fire Hip 45 full sis

#7 Katla’s Fury Hip 187 full sis

RACE 5 SIMCOE

#3 Lakeside Park Hip 100 1/2 bro by Souper Speedy

#6 Rockcrest Hip 205 1/2 bro by Souper Speedy

#8 Mister Oakley Hip 244 1/2 bro by Reload

RACE 6 MUSKOKA

#2 Kit Kat Katie Hip 80 1/2 sis by Bayern

#7 Gelato Amore Hip 206 1/2 bro by Souper Speedy

#9 Sterling Speed Hip 221 full bro

RACE 7 ELGIN

#1 Cooler Mike Hip 85 1/2 bro by Big Screen

#2 Aheadbyacentury Hip 223 1/2 sis by War Dancer

RACE 8 MOC $40,000

#3 Sweet Shades Hip 230 1/2 bro by Souper Speedy

#7 Brewedtobeperfect Hip 256 1/2 bro by Reload

(courtesy Vicki Pappas)

TRAVERS STAKES – CODE OF HONOR

Code of Honor, a late foal born in May of 2016, brought all of the preparation to fruition by running past Tacitus and Mucho Gusto inside the eighth pole to win in a fast 2:01.05.

Read more here.