Tom Pedulla presents 5 takeaways from a significant weekend of racing highlighted by motion at Toronto’s Woodbine Racetrack. Three Breeders’ Cup Problem Collection races had been contested there on Saturday: the $1 million Ricoh Woodbine Mile, the $500,000 Johnnie Walker Natalma Stakes and the $500,000 bet365 Summer season Stakes. Every provided an automated, fees-paid berth in a corresponding race on the Breeders’ Cup World Championships Nov. 3-4 at Santa Anita Park. Pedulla additionally appears initially of the Highway to the Kentucky Derby and the shut of one other profitable meet at Kentucky Downs.
TERRIFIC COMBINATION: Proprietor-breeder Godolphin, coach Charlie Appleby, and jockey William Buick proved to be an unbeatable mixture for the Ricoh Woodbine Mile for the second consecutive yr. They clicked with Trendy Video games final season and had been unbeatable once more when Irish-bred Grasp of The Seas rolled by 3 ¾ lengths. Grasp of The Seas secured a spot within the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile introduced by PDJF, received by the now-retired Trendy Video games in 2022. Grasp of The Seas registered his seventh victory in 14 profession begins whereas finishing the space in 1:33.79. In response to assistant coach Alex Merriam, no determination has been made regarding whether or not the 5-year-old Dubawi gelding will go on to the Breeders’ Cup.
GRADE 1 BREAKTHROUGH: She Feels Fairly, making solely her second begin, turned that into one thing particular when she supplied up-and-coming coach Cherie DeVaux together with her first Grade 1 triumph with a dominant 4 ¼-length rating within the Johnnie Walker Natalma Stakes. John Velazquez was aboard for the one-mile contest as She Feels Fairly locked up a spot within the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Nov. 3. DeVaux had anticipated a powerful efficiency. “I’ve been very assured together with her, particularly together with her coaching at Saratoga,” she mentioned. “Each single day she has skilled, she bodily matured, she mentally matured. She goes on the market and you’ll’t inform that she is a 2-year-old filly. She appears like she is likely one of the older fillies.”
INSPIRING TALE: Followers have been impressed for a number of seasons now by Cody’s Want and by Cody Dorman, his greatest fan, who has struggled to deal with Wolf-Hirschorn syndrome, a uncommon genetic dysfunction. Now, alongside comes rising 2-year-old star Carson’s Run. The colt is known as for Carson Yost, one other younger Wolf-Hirschorn affected person and the son of Wade Yost, a former classmate of West Level Thoroughbreds founder Terry Finley at the US Army Academy. Carson’s Run displayed large coronary heart when he rallied from final of 9 within the one-mile bet365 Summer season Stakes for coach Christophe Clement and jockey Dylan Davis. The Summer season Stakes was a “Win and You’re In” race for the Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. “It’s very particular to have a horse named for Carson and what he has occurring,” Davis mentioned. “It makes it extra significant and particular. Hopefully, I can meet him on the Breeders’ Cup and perhaps get it achieved there.”
ROAD TO DERBY 150: West Saratoga was neglected earlier than he bought to Harry Veruchi for $12,000 on the 2022 Keeneland September yearling sale. The Exaggerator colt could have loads of eyes on him now. He took the early lead on the street to the a hundred and fiftieth Kentucky Derby introduced by Woodford Reserve when he topped favored Threat It by 1 ¾ lengths within the one-mile Iroquois Stakes on Saturday at Churchill Downs. He’s skilled by Larry Demeritte and was ridden by Rafael Bejarano as he received his second consecutive race following an 0-for-4 starting to his profession. “It’s very particular to get began on the Highway to the Kentucky Derby,” Veruchi mentioned. “We ran a few instances right here within the spring and so we knew he’d just like the monitor. After he broke his maiden final time at a mile, we had been assured he would really like stretching out in distance as he received extra skilled. He’s a really good horse.”
WINNING FORMULA: Kentucky Downs concluded one other profitable meet that was sturdy within the important areas of handbags, wagering, and discipline dimension. Purse construction elevated for the twelfth consecutive season. All-sources wagering jumped 4.3% from $80,175,928 final yr to $83,640,261, a mirrored image of considerable discipline dimension. Races averaged 10.42 starters. Ted Nicholson, Kentucky Downs vice chairman for racing, was fast to notice that British-based Historic Rome shipped abroad to seize the $2 million Mint Hundreds of thousands, North America’s richest turf race exterior of the Breeders’ Cup. “We’re dedicated to a world-class race meet,” Nicholson mentioned. “We hope we’re seeing the beginning of a pattern of abroad horses coming to run at Kentucky Downs.”
