Canada-Breds Go for Cash in Cup and Saucer

Trainer Wesley Ward has the class of the field in Mark Dodson's The B's and E's, a Marcavelly runner who exits a fifth-place finish in the one-mile Summer Stakes presented by TVG (Can-IIT) on the Woodbine turf Sept. 15. One race prior, The B's and E's broke his maiden by 3 1/2 lengths going seven furlongs on the lawn at Belmont Park July 15. Blinkers come off the colt, who leaves from post 8 with Alex Solis aboard.

 

Mark Casse starts the highly-regarded Star Contender, who made his debut for owner John Oxley with a third-place finish in the Sept. 3 Simcoe Stakes going 6 1/2 furlongs on the all-weather oval. The Henny Hughes colt broke his maiden by three-quarter lengths in a subsequent start Sept. 23, going a mile and 70 yards on the all-weather track.

 

C. E. C. Farms' Open Ice Hit and Reade Baker Racing Stable and Augusto Onesi's Olivier also exit the Simcoe. Open Ice Hit, by Perfect Soul , was sixth in a field of 10, while Olivier, a son of Strut the Stage, was seventh. Prior to that start, Olivier won second time out by 7 1/4 lengths going seven furlongs on the all-weather for Baker Aug. 26. Open Ice Hit went the same distance on the same surface to register a 2 1/4-length first score for trainer Ralph Biamonte Aug. 12.

 

Olivier will also get blinkers off this time out.

 

Tormenta Fiera, third in his debut at Woodbine Oct. 12 going the Cup and Saucer distance on the turf, wheels right back. Earlier in the season, the Perfect Soul gelding worked in company with Futurity (gr. I) runner-up Really Sharp, who missed that grade I event at Keeneland by a nose but was subsequently disqualified to sixth for interference in the stretch run. Michael Doyle trains for A & L Racing Stables.

 

Although he hasn't reached the winner's circle in his first two starts, Sam-Son Farm's His Race to Win comes into his initial stakes appearance heading in the right direction. The son of Stormy Atlantic  was second in that a one mile and 70 yard Polytrack event (originally slated for the E.P. Taylor Turf Course) won by Star Contender. His Race to Win rallied from eighth in the 12-horse field to wind up three-quarters of a length behind the winner.

 

In his career bow Aug. 19, a seven-furlong turf race, the colt finished a determined third, two lengths behind Indiano Jones over 'firm' going, also from the outside post 12.

 

"He managed well being on the outside both times," offered conditioner Malcolm Pierce. "I thought both were very good efforts. In his first race, he kept trying and fought hard right to the wire. In his next start, he did the very same thing. The key has been that he's continuing to learn, continuing to develop nicely."

 

Pierce liked what he saw in His Race to Win from the outset.

 

"He's a big, strong, good-looking colt," he said. "We've seen two good races and hopefully, he can come up with his best effort on Saturday. We've got $250,000 reasons to give it a shot. He handles the turf well and he's been able to put in two solid efforts from post 12. The most encouraging part of it all is that he is learning what this is all about. He's taking another step up, but you know he'll give it all he has."

 

1. His Race to Win (ON), E.R. Da Silva, M Pierce

2. Iratus Leo (ON), O. Moreno, J P MacKenzie

3. Drenched (ON), J.M. Campbell, J Carroll

4. Star Contender (ON), P. Husbands, M E Casse

5. Olivier (ON), E. Wilson, R Baker

6. Tex (ON), L. Contreras, B A Lynch

7. Open Ice Hit (ON), T. Kabel, R J Biamonte

8. The B's and E's (ON), A. O. Solis, W A Ward

9. Tormenta Fiera (ON), J. Stein, M J Doyle