CTHS Race Day Preview
This is one Monday race fans will enjoy, with four $50,000 CTHS Sales Stakes races and a wildly-competitive supporting card to blow away those start-of-the-week blues!
Sharp enough to win first-time up over 3½ furlongs, BREEZIN BRIANNE could not have been more impressive when stepping up to 6½ furlongs next time, drawing right away from her field to win the BC Cup Debutante Stakes in a canter by 8¼ lengths. She had stablemate WHY NOTS A WYNNER well beaten in second that day, with Someday Lady behind in third and it’s not easy to see where any threat may come from here. SOMEDAY LADY’s connections will be buoyed by what was her first career start and she should be closer this time, while ANSTRUTHER broke smartly and scampered on well enough behind the gelding Pioneer Storm King on her debut over 3½ furlongs. The winner’s subsequent second-place finish in the BC Cup Debutante has given the form a boost and she should be in the shake-up.
Juvenile clues have been thin on the ground this season but there’s little arguing that MOUNT DOOM is the best of the boys at the moment. He progressed from a highly promising second-place debut to land the BC Cup Nursery a shade comfortably from Pioneer Storm King, with today’s rivals MAKENA’S JOY and CHICK COMMAND some way back in third and fourth, respectively. Those two were making their racing debuts and both are entitled to be much closer today, although they will need to step up considerably to trouble the favourite. Counter Cat and Rondelito both face tough tasks on their first starts but have pedigrees to suggest they shouldn’t be out of their depth. COUNTER CAT is a half-brother to multiple Stakes winner and juvenile champion Asyoubelieve, as well as to Stakes performer Rockcliffe, while RONDELITO is a half-brother to multiple Hastings’ winner Wandalita and has also been working well in the mornings.
ANNIKA’S SONG narrowly missed out in a scrambling affair last time, going down by a head on just her second lifetime run, with several of today’s rivals in her rearview mirror. This won’t be straightforward as there were legitimate excuses for some of her foes that day, but she’s the one they’ll have to beat. NU BLEND stayed on well to claim third behind Annika’s Song and looks to be an improving sort, while FEBRUARY didn’t run badly after almost a year off, despite weakening late, and may be better judged on last season’s second to subsequent Champion Lizzie’s Rayne in the CTHS Sales Stakes. Finally, SAILINGFORTHESTARS has endured some rotten racing luck and wasn’t herself last time. A repeat of her previous effort, when second to the smart Sunblaze, would make her a leading candidate.
The luckless AIR FORCE finished behind MATSQUI in both her most recent efforts, although she could easily reverse positions today in a contest where there is no clear indication of where the pace may come from. A dawdle would certainty favour AIR FORCE, who is a classy sprinter on her day and with gears to match. By contrast, MATSQUI takes a while to get rolling and would likely benefit from a decent pace in order to find top gear. EDDIE’S GIRL goes for her third consecutive win and steps up to the mile-and-sixteenth for the first time this season. She broke her maiden comfortably two starts ago after several cracking efforts in tough company and wouldn’t need to improve too much more to be a serious factor. DREAMING D'ORO weakened only late under a lovely ride by Jose Asencio in the Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes earlier this month and has to go on the shortlist.
Connections have re-aligned their sights with A LITTLE MERCY NOW, who drops onto the bottom rung after trailing home in her second career start. Prior to that, she made up plenty of ground to finish a closing fifth on her debut and a repeat of that might be good enough in what looks to be a moderate affair. STILETTOS ONLY has hit the board in three of her five starts this term and is an obvious candidate here following a rallying second to Forever Summer last time, with NUMAANY’S CANDY just behind in third on only her second start. Both should be thereabouts again.
MR MORRIS will need to prove he’s equally as capable over the mile-and-sixteenth as he is sprinting, but he lines up here on a four-timer after three exciting gate-to-wire efforts already this season. Stablemate VECTOR didn’t appear to settle well last time and wasn’t unduly hassled by his rider once his chance has gone. Prior to that he encountered some traffic issues in the Chris Loseth Stakes over today’s distance and, if he settles, a repeat of that effort and a slice of racing luck would put him in the picture. WEALTHY TEXAN isn’t far off the top of the three-year-old tree. He beat August Rain on merit back in May and ran him close again the following month. He’s been off since then but has been working well and is a leading player. SNAP TO IT went into plenty of notebooks after an impressive debut, steadily making up ground from the rear and launching a four-wide challenge to win with a little in hand. He has it all to do on just his second appearance but may represent some value at the betting windows.
DIOCLES got the best of a dramatic bunch finish to land the Sir Winston Churchill Derby Trial earlier this month, beating WHAT’S SHAKIN by a head. He gave the second 4lbs that day but concedes an extra pound here and that certainly won’t help in what could easily be another tight finish. More importantly, he gets just a single pound allowance from the year older LUCKY FORCE, who has been successfully mixing it with the likes of Bold Arch and stablemate Just Jimmy all season. However, DIOCLES is among the best of the Classic generation at Hastings and, despite the weight disadvantage, may have the class to take this ahead of next month’s BC Derby.
ACCORDINGLY has already finished ahead of most of these this season and he has looked a different proposition since dropping in class and taking on the mile-and-sixteenth course. A repeat of either of his two most recent efforts would put him at the heart of matters again. Antonio Reyes takes over aboard KARDINAL ROSE, who drops a little in class and may represent some value at the betting windows. She wasn’t beaten too far in a tougher event than this last time after enduring a torrid time of it, pulling quite hard in behind a tortoise-like pace before being forced to challenge four-wide around the home turn. DIVAANY was staying on well behind Better Tone and Accordingly last time on his first stab at the 8½ furlongs and shouldn’t be too far away if able to repeat the standard.
Lisa & Mike’s Selections
Statistics
Heads Eyes Canadian Derby with August Rain and Star-Studded Stable
By Curtis Stock for Horse Racing Alberta
With seven nominations to Saturday’s Canadian Derby card that has six stakes races including August Rain in the $200,000 Derby itself it only appears that Vancouver trainer Barbara Heads has sent her entire barn to Century Mile.
“It seems like it,” said Heads, perennially one of B.C.’s leading conditioners.
“We condensed it as much as we can. We nominated seven so that we can consider our options in case we had no choices,” said Heads, who trains a powerful barn of 25 thoroughbreds.
“It will be interesting to see how all of them run on a mile track.”
While small in stature, August Rain is the big boy in the mile and a quarter Derby.
He has won five of his nine career starts. He also has a second and two thirds missing the board just once.
“He’s a cool little horse,” Heads said of August Rain, who was last year’s top two-year-old in B.C. and who has won two stakes - the Chris Loseth and McLeod stakes this year.
“He’s a little lazy to train and work but when it’s time for business he’s right there.
“He loves his job.”
After winning the Loseth and McLeod, August Rain ran third - beaten just a neck for it all - in his last start, the Sir Winston Churchill B.C. Derby Trial.
“He was forced early and hung wide but still ran pretty good,” said Heads.
“In his start before that, the Loseth, he was in trouble too. He was in tight the whole way with no where to go until very late.
“But he found a way to win.”
Just like he usually does.
The favourite in his last seven races and probable favourite again in Saturday’s Derby, Heads said she has only briefly looked at the other entrants - none of which are overpowering or stand out.
“I’m worrying about my own horse at the moment.”
Among those expected to face August Rain is Classy City, a sharp $50,000 purchase out of California who has won the Western Canada and Count Lathum in his only two appearances in Edmonton but who was sixth when he ventured west for the Loseth.
Also nominated are J Dutton, who finished a couple of inches from August Rain in the Churchill running fourth and defeated by just half a length for it all; Awesome Road, the favourite in the Manitoba Derby and trained by Canadian Derby killer Robertino Diodoro; Itsallgoodman, last year’s Alberta two-year-old champion who was a close second to Classy City in the Count Lathum and could be the pace setter; McEwen, who was second in the Manitoba Derby and Skipper’s Pride, who was second in the Western Canada and third in the Count Lathum.
Two ‘dark’ horses could be Roussette, an interesting individual who was bet quite heavily in the Manitoba Derby and who broke his maiden in Kentucky, where he was claimed for $30,000 by Henry Witt Jr. and Rebellious, who has been running in Woodbine, Ontario.
Other than August Rain, the Derby appears to be wide open.
“In horse racing you never know,” said Heads. “Some horse jumps up and finds some life. You never know.
“I never go in thinking a race is going to be easy. No matter what goes on August Rain always shows up. He’s a fun horse to have,” she said of the horse owned by Peter Redekop who has already won $164,450 in his young career.
“He’s been running very well. He’s a versatile horse to do what you want him to do.”
Another champion that Heads is sending to Edmonton is Infinite Patience, a winner of a remarkable 20 races in 29 starts.
Infinite Patience is nominated to Northlands Distaff Handicap.
A winner of her first five races, Infinite Patience couldn’t connect in Ontario but came back west to win 10 in a row including last year’s Northlands Distaff Handicap.
Uncharacteristically Infinite Patience got off to a slow start this year finishing disinterested fourths in her first two races.
But after running second on July 1 in the Monashee Handicap, Infinite Patience turned it back on winning the B.C. Cup Distaff wire to wire by almost eight lengths.
“When she ran second she was a different horse,” said Heads.“She looks like her old self again.
“I had a tough spring with her. She was over weight. Terribly over weight.
“She’s finicky about how she trains. There’s a fine line getting her ready,” Heads said of the seven-year-old who has already won $823,700.
Infinite Patience is co-owned by Edmonton Oiler star Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and William Decoursey.
“To be honest I think I ran her too soon this spring. I didn’t think I had any options. I ran her instead of trying to work her. It was a bad decision on my part.”
Infinite Patience could be tested by Big Hug, easily Alberta’s top mare.
Trained and co-owned by Rick Hedge along with Empire Equestrian, Big Hug has won 10 of her 17 outings.
Big Hug’s last two starts have been the definition of easy as she romped home under a strong hold by jockey Rafael Zenteno Jr.
Saturday’s test will reveal just how good she is.
Also on the card are the Canadian Juvenile, for two-year-old boys; the Princess Margaret for two-year-old fillies; the Century Casino Oaks and the Speed to Spare.
In the Oaks, Heads has Avana nominated. Also owned by Redekop, Avana has won four in a row in just five career appearances. Her only loss came at Del Mar, California.
At Hastings Park in Vancouver, Avana has won stakes by three and a half lengths, eight lengths, two and three-quarter lengths and three-and-a-quarter lengths.
“Avana is just a really nice, straight-forward filly,” said Heads, who also nominated Viva La Diva, who has finished second to Avana in her last two starts.
The Speed to Spare, as usual, looks like a monster race. Heads has nominated both Apprehend and At Attention.
Apprehend won an allowance race in Vancouver last time out. Before that he was running south of the border - primarily in California where he won an allowance race by more than eight lengths while earning a huge Beyer Speed Rating. He also ran second in the $250,000 Zia Park Derby in New Mexico.
At Attention has won 11 of 37 races while earning $510,660. He has been first or second in five of 10 races at Century Mile.
In his last start he was third behind Space and Sunbird, who are also both nominated to the Speed to Spare.
Certainly also well worth considering is Varatti.
Trained by Craig Smith, Varatti has crossed the finish line on top four times in a row but was disqualified in the Century Mile for drifting out in the stretch.
He won his last start by six lengths.
Canadian Derby
CTHS Yearling Sale & Mixed Sale
65th Kings Plate The Highlight of Friday Woodbine card
TORONTO, August 18, 2024 – Thirteen sophomores, including champion and multiple stakes winner My Boy Prince, will contest the $1 million King’s Plate, first leg of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown, which highlights a sensational stakes-filled Friday card of racing at Woodbine.
The 165th edition of The King’s Plate, North America’s oldest continually run race, contested at 1 ¼ miles on the Woodbine all-weather course, was originally scheduled for August 17. However, torrential rains throughout the Greater Toronto Area caused unsafe racing conditions, prompting the rescheduling of the first event in the tri-surface series for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds to Friday.
Bedard, trained by Kevin Attard for owners Men Racing LLC III, Madaket Stables LLC, and SF Racing LLC, was originally scratched from the Plate, but is now authorized to run as per the Alcohol Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).
Friday’s card, which gets underway at 1:05 p.m., showcases a quartet of standout stakes events, which were also slated to run on August 17: the bet365 King Edward (G2T) (one mile on the E.P. Taylor turf for 3-year-olds and up), $150,000 Bold Venture Stakes (G3) (6 ½ furlongs on the main track for 3-year-olds and up), $150,000 bet365 Soaring Free (6 ½ furlongs on the E.P. Taylor turf for 2-year-olds) and $150,000 Catch a Glimpse (6 ½ furlongs on the E.P. Taylor turf for 2-year-old fillies).
The King Edward and Soaring Free, which were taken off the E.P. Taylor turf on Saturday, will both be run over that surface on Friday. Horses that were scratched on Saturday due to those races coming off the turf have been authorized to run on Friday.
All rescheduled stakes races will be carded as they were on Saturday, including post positions.
For more on this year’s King’s Plate starters and their connections, as well as other information about the race, please visit: https://woodbine.com/blog/165th-kings-plate-media-guide/
Fans can also follow @WoodbineTB on both X and Instagram.