Serpe Believes Emma-Jayne Wilson The Key To Safe Conduct Winning Breeders’ Stakes

Phil Serpe said jockey Irad Ortiz was the essential ingredient in Safe Conduct's victory in the Queen's Plate. Now the trainer is turning to Emma-Jayne Wilson for Sunday's (Oct. 3) $400,000 Breeders' Stakes on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course at Woodbine Racetrack because he feels she's the right rider to guide Safe Conduct to victory over 1 ½ miles.

“One thing I really learned was just how important a rider was for that particular (Queen's Plate),” Serpe said of the Aug. 22 race that Safe Conduct won by a head over Riptide Rock on the Tapeta track to claim the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown.

“Irad Ortiz was pivotal in getting that horse out of the one-hole… He's a big brute of a horse and if you watch the first 100 yards of that race, to me, that's where the race was won because he got that horse out of there and in position without having to use him.

“Taking that into consideration, we have a rider change to Emma-Jayne Wilson (for the Breeders' Stakes). She was going to ride him last year for us as a 2-year-old. The ball was actually in her court to ride him in the Queen's Plate. The horse had gotten sick and had a couple of bad starts… so I don't blame her for (choosing to ride Tidal Forces). In fact, she was one of the first people to text me after the horse won to congratulate me.

“We feel confident with her because the whole scenario changes. What we want now is just a nice, calm ride. She knows the turf course up there, it's her ballpark, so we're very happy to have her… I feel like he'll get the distance if he gets the right ride.”

Serpe's biggest concern is weather. Should it rain, it likely won't be Safe Conduct's game. The son of Bodemeister out of the Congrats mare Duchess Dancer wasn't a fan of soft going in his pre-Plate July 10 start in the Belmont Derby in which he finished 8th.

“The turf it had taken a lot of rain and he was just not getting through it,” Serpe said. “But we can't do anything about the weather… I actually think that grass is probably going to be his best surface, so I'm more confident about this surface than (the Tapeta).”

Serpe said Safe Conduct came out of the Queen's Plate in fine form and was back at his base in New York the next day.

“He is a big, strong horse and so he took that well. We just gave him a little breather, then brought him back down to Belmont. He had a terrific work the other day. We just blew him out a little bit (Tuesday, Sept. 28). We let him go about a half on the main track here in about :51. Really, just kind of let him go down the lane and gallop out strong. I think he went the last three-eighths in :38.2 and the last quarter in :24-and-change or something like that. He was stepping it up,” Serpe said.

The decision to skip the Prince of Wales — the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown — was a tactical one, Serpe said.

“We would love, love, love to win the Canadian Triple Crown, but we weighed it out and we thought that we would rather have a fresh horse to run a mile-and-a-half, than to take a chance running him on the dirt and then he goes backwards and we're not even coming,” Serpe said. “The Triple Crown in Canada is on three surfaces and, to me, that's a lot harder, or can be a lot harder, than running at three different distances — and, of course, you are at three different distances anyway.”

Serpe said it was an honour to win the Queen's Plate, even though neither he nor the owner — WellSpring Stables' Dr. Robert Vukovich of Colts Neck, NJ — made the trip to Woodbine due to COVID-19 restrictions and pandemic concerns.

“We didn't even know if we were going to make it or have personnel there, so we had three different plans intact as far as the horse was concerned. Fortunately, it all worked out well. I'm very sorry that I couldn't be there, because it's such a prestigious race, but we had to make sure we had people in the right spots in case something went backwards,” Serpe said, adding the fact Safe Conduct won without him there is the reason he won't be coming for the Breeders' Stakes.

“I'm going to stay here because I'm slightly superstitious,” he said, laughing. “If he runs a third time (at Woodbine), then I'll be there… My partner and assistant of 25 years, Lisa Bartowsky will be up again.”

However, this time, Vukovich is expected to be at Woodbine. It was Vukovich who picked out Safe Conduct — bred by Ontario's Mitchell Kursner — from the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale and bought him for $45,000. Thanks to the $600,000 (Cdn – $467,952 U.S.) payday in the $1 million Queen's Plate, Safe Conduct now sports earnings of $603,202 (U.S.).

“I'm especially happy for (Vukovich) because he is a really, really good owner and a really good person,” Serpe said.

As for Serpe, the Plate proved to be a Godsend.

“We've had three or four pretty large outfits (in New York) where the trainer has retired,” Serpe said. “The pandemic put a lot of strain on people, including ourselves. Our purse earnings were down in 2020 about $800,000 from the year before. So, this money has helped immensely. For whatever reason, also, we've been going through a dry, dry, dry spell. Like, drier than the first year I was training horses… So, good things happened at the right time for us and we are grateful for that. The money went to good use, my employees.

“No new cars or boats or anything. The stable is our main focus.”

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Haddassah Leads 1-2 Finish For Kevin Attard In Fort Erie’s Prince of Wales Stakes

The fan-filled crowd cheered on Haddassah in the 86th running of the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie racetrack in Fort Erie, Ontario. The son of Air Force Blue, trained by Kevin Attard and owned by Al and Bill Ulwelling, was piloted to victory by journeyman Gary Boulanger. Consulting with conditioner Attard, Boulanger was confident in his horse's ability to capture the second jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown.

“Kevin said he might be the most talented 3-year-old he has, but he hadn't mentally put it together. Today, he showed he did,” said Boulanger, who captured his first Prince of Wales win.

In the battle down to the wire with Attard's other trainee, Harlan Estate, Boulanger was confident his mount could get the job done in the 1 3/16-mile race over Fort Erie's dirt course.

“He's a horse that's really come into himself,” said Boulanger after steering Haddassah to victory.

Eighth in the Queen's Plate, Haddassah's conditioner Attard was extremely pleased with Haddassah heading into the Prince of Wales.

“He's trained really well since and he really matured since the Queen's Plate; he's more relaxed in his training in the mornings,” said Attard. “We elected to take him off of Lasix for the Queen's Plate and he ran without the medication today as well just because I thought it was reacting negatively to him. He put it all together today.”

Haddassah returned $15.50 to his backers. Attard's two other contenders, Harlan Estate and H C Holiday finished second and fourth, respectively. Meanwhile, Tino Attard's trainee, Keep Grinding finished third.

An eventful day at Fort Erie, the program was filled with various stakes including the Rondeau Bay Stakes and the Lake Erie Stakes. Each race was part of the inaugural Ontario Sired Heritage Series, a new eight-leg stakes series open to Ontario-sired 3-year-olds, featured both at Woodbine and Fort Erie.

The Rondeau Bay Stakes went to Red Equinox with jockey Christopher Husbands. Trained by Jamie Attard for owner Norseman Racing Stable, the 3-year-old filly returned $7.80 to her backers.

After his first stakes win, trainer Jamie Attard, son of Hall of Fame trainer Sid Attard, said the victory was very special. “It's something you dream about all the time when you're growing up and thinking about getting into this business and learning from someone like my father.”

The Lake Erie Stakes was captured by Red River Rebel with jockey Rafael Hernandez for trainer Kevin Attard and owners Denny Andrews and Northern Dawn Stables, Inc., returning $5.10 to win.

The two cup races on the 11-race card included the Le Cinquieme Essai Cup as well as the Molson Cup.

Seau was first across the finish line in the Le Cinquieme Essai Cup. Jockey Sunny Singh picked up the mount for trainer John Simms and owner Deborah Fletcher.

“He was pretty cool the first time I sat on him a few weeks ago, and he just did everything on his own and did it all right,” said Sunny Singh from the winner's circle after the race. “He is just an awesome animal to be around, and John and his crew did a great job.”

The Molson Cup was scooped up by Feature Creature and rider Kazushi Kimura, giving owner Deborah Fletcher and trainer John Simms their second cup victory on the card.

It was a good day at the betting window with the handle hitting the $2 million mark.

There are 11 racing days left in the 2021 Fort Erie racing calendar. For more information, please visit forterieracing.com

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Air Force Blue Gelding Upsets Prince of Wales

Haddassah (Air Force Blue) took to dirt with aplomb to upset Tuesday's Prince of Wales S., the second jewel of Canada's Triple Crown.

The 6-1 chance, third in the GIII Marine S. July 11 and eighth after getting rank early in the Queen's Plate last time Aug. 22, both over the Woodbine all-weather, chased in second as they passed the Fort Erie grandstand for the first time. He remained in a perfect, stalking position through a half mile in :47.30, made his move to take over on the far turn and dug down gamely in the stretch to hold Harlan Estate (Kantharos) safe for a one-two finish for trainer Kevin Attard.

A debut winner in an off-the-turfer at Woodbine last November, the Al and Bill Ulwelling homebred was a well-beaten third in grassy allowance at Woodbine June 13 prior to his two aforementioned stakes tries.

Pedigree Notes:

This is the second stakes winner for young sire Air Force Blue and sixth stakes winner for broodmare sire Whywhywhy.

Ten-time winner and multiple stakes-placed Lady Haddassah, claimed by Al and Bill Ulwelling for $16,000 at Oaklawn in 2013, is also responsible for the unraced 2-year-old gelding Haddassah's Devil (Daredevil); a yearling colt by Lookin At Lucky; and a colt by Mo Town of this year. She was bred back to Air Force Blue.

Tuesday, Fort Erie
PRINCE OF WALES S., C$400,000, Fort Erie, 9-14, (C), 3yo,
1 3/16m, 1:56.15, ft.
1–HADDASSAH, 126, g, 3, by Air Force Blue
1st Dam: Lady Haddassah (MSP, $248,164), by Whywhywhy
2nd Dam: Baby Lexi, by Storm Boot
3rd Dam: Queen's Castle, by Pleasant Tap
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O/B-Al & Bill Ulwelling (ON); T-Kevin
Attard; J-Gary Boulanger. C$240,000. Lifetime Record: 5-2-0-2,
$267,261.
2–Harlan Estate, 126, c, 3, Kantharos–Archerette, by Arch.
($39,000 RNA Ylg '19 FTKJUL; $90,000 2yo '20 OBSMAR). O-ERJ
Racing, LLC, Exline-Border Racing LLC, Madaket Stables LLC &
Clay Scherer; B-Tall Oaks Farm (ON); T-Kevin Attard. C$80,000.
3–Keep Grinding, 126, c, 3, Tizway–Samsal, by Consolidator.
(C$13,000 Ylg '19 CANSEP). O-Joshua J. Attard; B-Huntington
Stud Farm Corp. (ON); T-Tino Attard. C$40,000.
Margins: HF, 1 3/4, 4. Odds: 6.75, 3.45, 4.70.
Also Ran: H C Holiday, Curlin's Catch, Tidal Forces, Avoman, Ready At Dawn. Click for the Equibase.com chart.

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Queen’s Plate Contenders Switch to Dirt in Prince of Wales

With the absence of Queen's Plate S. hero Safe Conduct (Bodemeister), who will await the Breeders' S. on turf for his next engagement, a handful of horses who followed him home in that Woodbine feature will try dirt Tuesday at Fort Erie in an eight-horse renewal of the Prince of Wales S., the middle jewel of Canada's Triple Crown.

Given the narrowest of nods on the morning line at 5-2 is Ivan Dalos's H C Holiday (Ami's Holiday). Scoring against $40,000 maiden optional claiming foes second out at Woodbine, he was later disqualified from purse money in that race, but was on the positive side of a stewards' ruling two starts later when elevated to second in the Plate Trial S. Aug. 1. He then overcame traffic to finish a fast-closing third at 29-1 in the Queen's Plate.

Joshua Attard's Keep Grinding (Tizway) graduated at third asking last November at Woodbine and ran third in an allowance/optional claimer there upon return June 19. Runner-up at 16-1 in the GIII Marine S. July 11, the dark bay made a wide run to challenge Safe Conduct in the stretch of the Queen's Plate before fading late to finish fifth.

Also returning from that race are the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth-place runners, with Avoman (Old Forester), who won the Plate Trial, the most fancied on the morning line at 7-2.

The lone filly in the field, Breeze Easy's Curlin's Catch (Curlin), looks to rediscover the top form that briefly stamped her as a potential GI Longines Kentucky Oaks contender over the winter. A dominant winner of the Suncoast S. in her first start against winners Feb. 6 at Tampa, the $430,000 OBS April buy was a well-beaten fifth in both the GII Davona Dale S. and GI Central Bank Ashland S. before running third in Woodbine's Fury S. July 10 and fifth in the Woodbine Oaks Aug. 1.

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