Contreras Rides Tio Magico To Victory In Queenston At Woodbine

Sam-Son Farm homebred Tio Magico took the co-featured $125,000 Queenston Stakes, a seven-furlong sprint for Canadian-foaled three-year-olds, in front-running fashion with Luis Contreras aboard for trainer Gail Cox.

The Uncle Mo-Magic Broomstick gelding broke sharp and cruised through fractions of :23.85 and :46.95 en route to the 2-1/2-length victory in 1:22.54.

“I just love this guy. I think you haven't seen the best of him,” said a beaming Contreras after the victory. “He has something that attracts me and makes me feel good.”

Cutting back to seven furlongs after finishing fifth in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race here on June 19, Tio Magico paid $6.50 to win as the 2-1 second choice. The winning effort improved his record to 2-1-1 from eight career starts.

“We've always liked this horse a lot,” said Cox. “He ran so well last year, and I think we just probably messed around with his style a little bit. This is how he wants to run, and I think he'll run a distance like this. His gallop out was huge. So, it was so nice to be able to win like this.”

Tio Magico was a top three Queen's Plate contender, assessed at 6-1 odds in the Winterbook predictive rankings. When asked about targeting the 1 1/4-mile first leg of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown, which takes place on Sunday, Aug. 22 at Woodbine, Cox said the date would be up for discussion among the connections.

Artie's Storm angled out wide from mid-pack on the final turn and came on to finish second in the Queenston, with Queen's Plate eligible Red River Rebel, the 9-5 favourite, chasing from the rail in third. Del Griffith finished fourth and was followed by Master Spy, another Plate contender who pressed the pace near the turn, and Download.

Gretzky the Great was scratched along with Candy Overload, who was cross-entered in the Marine.

 

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Souper Escape Is Super In Second Trillium Win At Woodbine

Defending champion Souper Escape just held off Crystal Glacier at the wire to win the $150,000 Grade 3 Trillium Stakes on Saturday afternoon at Woodbine Racetrack.

It was a 1-2 finish for Sovereign Award-winning owner Live Oak Plantation, which also bred the winner.

Jockey Luis Contreras was aboard Souper Escape for her front-running journey in the 1-1/16-mile main track feature for fillies and mares 4 years old and up.

Trained by Michael Trombetta, Canada's reigning Champion Older Main Track Female was sharp leaving the gate and quickly established the lead into the first turn. She clocked fractions of :24.24 for the quarter-mile, :48.42 at the half-mile mark, and 1:11.54 for three quarters while turning back the stalking Red Cabernet.

Souper Escape continued to lead the way into the stretch, with Skygaze looming outside of Merveilleux. However, Crystal Glacier, who followed the leader throughout, proved to be the biggest threat with a late lunge down the lane to make it into the win photo under Kazushi Kimura.

“It was close, but I thought I had a pretty good chance to win the race,” said Contreras after getting the nod in the photo finish. The winning time was 1:43.12.

“By the way my filly was acting in the post parade, I knew she was going to be sharp. So I knew she was going to be on the lead no matter what. I was just trying to make her relax to have some horse at the end.”

The five-year-old Medaglia d'Oro-Cry and Catch Me mare, who won the Trillium and seven-furlong Grade 3 Seaway Stakes in back-to-back fashion last summer at Woodbine, improved her lifetime record to 7-2-3 from 20 starts.

Souper Escape paid $9.20, $4.40, and $3.80 across the board for winning her season's debut. She combined with the favored Crystal Glacier ($3.70, $2.80) for a 2-1 exacta that returned $30.10 for a $2 ticket. Skygaze ($4) finished 2-1/4 lengths behind in third.

Mark Casse trainees finished second through fourth, with Heavenly Curlin closing from the backfield to complete the superfecta. Merveilleux was fifth, with Royal Wedding, Brassy, and Red Cabernet completing the order.

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Boardroom Graduates To Graded Stakes Winner In Whimsical

With the action heating up at Woodbine Racetrack near Toronto, Ontario, LNJ Foxwoods' 4-year-old filly Boardroom earned her first graded stakes title in the $150,000 Grade 3 Whimsical Stakes co-featured on Saturday's card.

With regular rider Luis Contreras up for Hall of Fame trainer Josie Carroll, Boardroom made her seasonal debut a winning one in the six-furlong stakes event for fillies and mares four years old and up.

 

Golden Ami, the winner's stablemate, held a narrow lead while flanked by 2019 Champion Female Sprinter Summer Sunday and the reigning divisional champ Artie's Princess through fractions of :21.93 and :43.93 over the fast Tapeta surface. Following close to the pace just behind the top trio, Contreras had positioned Boardroom to strike down the stretch and the talented filly out-finished the competitive bunch to score by a neck in a sizzling time of 1:08.35.

“Reading the program and by the way the track has been playing, that was pretty much the thing to do. Everything worked perfect. Every single step of the race I was right there,” said Contreras. “She's so amazing.”

Boardroom paid $5.70 to win as the 9-5 second choice. Our Secret Agent closed widest from the back to finish second, three-quarters of a length ahead of Amalfi Coast, who rallied between rivals to take third prize. Golden Ami finished fourth, a neck back, followed by 6-5 favorite Artie's Princess and Summer Sunday. Chart and Sav were scratched.

“I think she's a really special filly and the race set up beautifully for her, Luis sat patiently just off of them and the filly proved what she is,” said Carroll. “I wasn't [surprised how close she was] with the way this track is playing. This track is very speedy today, so she was a little closer than maybe we had anticipated prior, but the way the day's been unfolding, I wasn't that surprised.”

Boardroom put together a 3-1-1 record while earning more than $140,000 during her debut season last year as a three-year-old despite a few eventful trips. The Kentucky-bred daughter of Commissioner had closed her five-race 2020 campaign by winning the Duchess Stakes and finishing a head shy of Artie's Princess in the Grade 2 Bessarabian.

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Mighty Heart Falls Short In Triple Crown Bid; Trainer Carroll Triumphant With Maiden Belichick In Breeders’ Stakes

Belichick, second to Mighty Heart in the Queen's Plate, turned the tables on his stablemate, and trounced his nearest rival by four lengths in the 129th running of the $400,000 Breeders' Stakes, Saturday at Woodbine in Toronto, Ontario.

Coached by conditioner Josie Carroll, who also trains Mighty Heart, Belichick proved to be much the best in the 1 1/2-mile turf marathon, and final jewel in the OLG Canadian Triple Crown.

Mighty Heart, the one-eyed wonder colt, was looking to become the first horse since Wando in 2003 to sweep all three races in the series. The bay Ontario-bred, bred and owned by Larry Cordes, was impressive in winning both the Queen's Plate at Woodbine on Sept. 12 and the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie on Sept. 29.

On this day, however, it was Belichick's time to shine over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course, courtesy of a maiden-breaking masterpiece.

It was Mighty Heart, sent off as the even-money choice, who was immediately directed to the front by Daisuke Fukumoto. The son of Dramedy was quickly engaged by longshot Kunal into the first turn, as the duo took their rivals through an opening quarter-mile in a brisk :23.69. Told It All and Clayton (the bay son of Bodemeister, who was third in the Plate and second in the Prince of Wales) were well back in third and fourth, respectively. Belichick, sent off as the 3-1 third choice, sat sixth under confident handling from Luis Contreras.

Mighty Heart and Kunal continued their front-end battle after a half-mile posted in :47.45, still well ahead of their closest pursuers. Belichick, still waiting for his cue from Contreras, began to pick up momentum moving into fifth spot.

After three-quarters in 1:13.02, the field began to converge on the leaders, with Contreras steering Belichick to the outside to take aim at the tiring front-runners. Just before the turn for home, Belichick took command as Mighty Heart began to fade to the inside.

At the stretch call (timed in 2:07.38), Belichick was in full flight, dashing away from his rivals with ease, as late-running 54-1 outsider Meyer rallied to take the second spot. English Conqueror got up for third, a half-length in front of 41-1 Deviant for the show award. Mighty Heart finished seventh. Olliemyboy, 11th in the Queen's Plate, was scratched.

Final time for the race was 2:32.51 over “good” ground.

“They kind of broke early in the race so I just tried to see them and relax my horse as much as I can,” said Contreras of the early front end speed. “He was very uncomfortable; this horse has a different style to run so I just let him be happy wherever he wants to be.

“Turning for home, I was just in hand all the way to the quarter pole and I asked him to run from the stretch home and he did. I was just watching, just feeling my horse at the same time. And he was doing great the whole way. He came into this race very ready, good thing for Josie and all the crew.”

Fukumoto didn't expect to be on the engine with Mighty Heart.

“Today he broke good and I didn't plan on going to the front. He was sharp like in the Queen's Plate, I tried to take hold and he relaxed a little bit in the backstretch, but with the mile and a half you need the stamina. I think he just got tired. He tried hard today, I tried to take hold too … but that's racing. He gave me many experiences and I'm so proud of him. I want everyone to keep following him when he runs again next time.”

Said Carroll, “I told him [Fukumoto], 'Let's see how this falls out. If you make the lead, watch your fractions … it's a long, long race.' The horse broke well, he found himself up there, unfortunately another horse dogged him the whole way and he couldn't get the horse to come off the bridle and relax.”

The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee was impressed, but not surprised by the winner's strong showing.

“I've said from the very start that Belichick is a very, very special horse that's just coming into his own and I think he showed that today. He's a powerful horse. The Queen's Plate was a breakout race for him and we couldn't come back that quickly in the Prince of Wales. A horse needs a little time to regroup from something like that, a young, inexperienced horse. And regroup he did.”

Owned by NK Racing and LNJ Foxwood, Belichick is now 1-2-1 from four starts in his career.

The son of Lemon Drop Kid, unraced at two, finished third in his career bow on July 4, following it up with a runner-up performance in his second start on August 1.

After his second-place finish in the Plate, Belichick's connections drew up a perfect game plan for the Breeders'.

“He's a different horse,” noted Carroll. “He was so distracted the first race. I came over here with high expectations of him, I knew in the paddock I was in trouble … he was looking at a white pony and he was all googly-eyed at them, all over the place. And then off of that race he seasoned a little, and then more so the next race, and then today when I was back at the barn he was sleeping all day, stretched right out in the stall … just crashed. The nerves are all gone, he's just turned into a real professional.”

The last Canadian Triple Crown winner was the Michael Keogh-trained Wando, who put his name into the record books in 2003 as the 12th horse to win all three races.

Belichick paid $8.70, $5 and $3.40. He combined with Meyer ($30.70, $15.60) for a 9-1 exactor that returned $238.20. English Conqueror ($5.30) completed the 9-1-5 triactor, worth $1,544.60 and Deviant rounded out the 9-1-5-3 winning superfecta combination that paid $15,395.90 for $1.

Live Thoroughbred racing resumes at Woodbine Racetrack on Sunday, with first race post time set for 1:10 p.m. The feature race is the $250,000 Wonder Where Stakes, final jewel in the Canadian Triple Tiara series.

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