Nearctic Stakes | Horse Racing Free Tips

Avie’s Flatter Returns to Winner’s Circle In Nearctic Stakes At Woodbine

Avie's Flatter returned to the familiar confines of the winner's circle at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario with a victory in the Grade 2 Nearctic Stakes.

In the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile last out, the 5-year-old horse finished ninth behind upset winner Town Cruise, who was also part of the Nearctic field. At the break, Momos grabbed the lead, with Town Cruise and Turned Aside second and third early. Avie's Flatter and Luis Contreras were third entering the race's only turn, going wide into the Woodbine straight.

In the stretch, Avie's Flatter showed no trouble with the yielding turf, building up momentum on the outside of Town Cruise and taking the lead with a furlong to go to win by a half-length. Turned Aside came on late to take second. Olympic Runner passed Momos to take third. Town Cruise, Jolie Olimpica, White Flag, Reconfigure, Admiralty Pier, and Lucky Curlin rounded out the order of finish.

The final time for the six-furlong Nearctic was 1:10.52. Find this race's chart here.

Avie's Flatter paid $16.50, $7.30, and $5.60. Turned Aside paid $17.50 and $10.40. Olympic Runner paid $5.20.

Bred in Ontario by Tall Oaks Farm, Avie's Flatter is by Flatter out of the Empire Maker mare Avie's Empire. Owned by Ivan Dalos, the 5-year-old horse is trained by Josie Carroll. With his win in the G2 Nearctic, Avie's Flatter has three wins in five starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of seven wins in 18 starts and career earnings of $932,937.

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Mark Casse Hoping His Trio Get Hot Pace Facing Town Cruise In Sunday’s Nearctic Stakes

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said his best chance to win Sunday's (October 17) Grade 2 $250,000 Nearctic Stakes at Woodbine will come if there's a hot pace that falls apart late in the six-furlong race on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

“All three of my horses are come-from-behind horses,” Casse said of Olympic Runner (post 3, Rafael Hernandez, 6-1), Turned Aside (post 6, Kazushi Kimura, 20-1) and Lucky Curlin (post 7, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 10-1).

Casse said “the old pro” Olympic Runner and “up-and-coming horse” Lucky Curlin, “need some pace and I think there's going to be some pace. There's some quick horses in there. If we get some pace and it falls apart, both of those horses will come running.”

The Nearctic has drawn 10 horses and will go as race 10 on Sunday, two races after the card's main event, the Grade 1 $600,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes.

Brandon Greer trainee Town Cruise (post 9, Daisuke Fukumoto, 2-1) is the morning line favorite, followed by Admiralty Pier (post 1, Antonio Gallardo, 7-2), White Flag (post 4, Emma-Jayne Wilson, 5-1) and then Olympic Runner.

Casse said 4-year-old Lucky Curlin has run well in his two starts this year – a victory on Aug. 22 at Woodbine in an Allowance Optional Claiming race and a second to Pink Lloyd on September 25 in the Grade 3 $150,000 Bold Venture Stakes, also at Woodbine. Lucky Curlin (Curlin-My Lady Luck by Hard Spun) has a record of 3-3-3 in 14 starts.

“Irad Ortiz is going to ride him for us,” Casse said. “He's coming in to ride in the E.P. Taylor, so he's going to ride him for us. (Lucky Curlin) belongs to Gary Barber… He won on the turf and then came back and was second in the stakes to Pink Lloyd. But he's actually pretty good on the grass. There's supposed to be some rain and I'm hoping there's a little cut in the ground and it maybe brings some of his speed back. He'll be running late.”

Casse said Olympic Runner “had kind of tough trip last time” in the Grade 1 $1 million Ricoh Woodbine Mile on September 18, finishing eighth in a race won by Town Cruise. Yet, it's been a productive year for Olympic Runner, a 5-year-old son of Gio Ponti-Nadadora by Carson City owned by Barber. Olympic Runner is 2-2-0 in eight starts in 2021. Olympic Runner won the Grade 2 $175,000 King Edward Stakes on August 15 at Woodbine, was second in the Grade 2 $175,000 Connaught Cup Stakes on July 18 at Woodbine and was second in the Grade 3 $125,000 Canadian Turf Stakes at Gulfstream Park on February 27. Last year, he was fourth in the Nearctic won by Silent Poet.

As for Casse's 20-1 longshot, Turned Aside, the trainer said the 5-year-old son of American Pharoah-Sustained by War Front has been a disappointment.

“He was a really talented horse last year. We've got him this year and he's been very disappointing. He's training well. It's a tough spot, but I'm going to give it a try,” Casse said.

This year, Turned Aside's best finish is a fourth in the Turf Dash Stakes at Tampa Bay in February. Turned Aside was ninth in the Grade 2 $200,000 Shakertown Stakes at Keeneland on April 3 and eighth on August 22 in the Grade 1 $350,000 Highlander Stakes at Woodbine, a race won by Silent Poet.

In his career, Turned Aside has a 4-2-1 record in 12 starts for D.J. Stable LLC and West Point Thoroughbreds. Turned Aside won the Grade 3 $100,000 Quick Call Stakes at Saratoga in 2020.

FIELD FOR THE NEARCTIC

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 — Admiralty Pier — Antonio Gallardo — Barbara Minshall

2 — Reconfigure — Eswan Flores — Robert Tiller

3 — Olympic Runner — Rafael Hernandez — Mark Casse

4 — White Flag — Emma-Jayne Wilson — Roger Attfield

5 — Avie's Flatter — Luis Contreras — Josie Carroll

6 — Turned Aside — Kazushi Kimura — Mark Casse

7 — Lucky Curlin — Irad Ortiz, Jr. — Mark Casse

8 — Momos — Patrick Husbands — Michael Trombetta

9 — Town Cruise — Daisuke Fukumoto — Brandon Greer

10 — Jolie Olimpica — Joel Rosario — Josie Carroll

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‘This One’s For You, Martha’: Silent Poet Game And Determined In Nearctic Stakes

Silent Poet, under Justin Stein, delivered an emotional victory for trainer Nick Gonzalez in Sunday's $290,000 Nearctic Stakes (G2T) at Woodbine in Toronto, Ontario.

Gonzalez, whose wife, assistant trainer Martha Gonzalez, recently passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer, watched Silent Poet, bred and owned by Stronach Stables, put on a show over six furlongs on a “good” E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

It was Silent Poet who was ushered immediately to the front by Stein in the Nearctic, the 5-year-old son of Silent Name (JPN) engaged quickly by last year's winner City Boy.

The front-running pair took the field of eight (Reconfigure was scratched) through an opening quarter-mile carved out in :23.65. Blind Ambition, in third, and Kanthaka, in fourth, tracked the pacesetting duo.

Silent Poet and City Boy continued their front-end battle through a half-mile clip timed in :46.16. The two continued to go head-to-head around the final turn as their rivals endeavored to keep them in their sights.

As the field straightened for home, it became a two-horse race for all the spoils with Silent Poet to the inside and City Boy to the outside, both digging in for the final push to the wire.

After almost every step of the 1,320 yards run, Silent Poet came out on top a half-length winner in a time of 1:08.57. City Boy finished three-quarters of a length ahead of Kanthaka, who fended off Olympic Runner by a neck for third.

In the last strides, announcer Robert Geller exclaimed, “This one's for you, Martha.”

“It has a lot of meaning,” said Stein, who is enjoying a fruitful 2020 season. “People watching on the outside might not understand, but the family here, the community at Woodbine, I'm sure they were cheering big for this horse for reasons that we all know.”

Stein, who has eclipsed the 100-win mark on the campaign, knew just what to expect from Silent Poet at the beginning of the Nearctic and at the end.

“He just leaves the gate so quick. He hits his stride right away. With a horse like that you get position and just slow him down, save as much horse as you can, and he does the rest. He loves his job, and when you ask him to run, he just gives you everything. He tows you down the lane.”

The win was the fourth from five starts in 2020 for the ultra-consistent dark bay, who now sports a record of 10-4-2 from 18 career starts.

Silent Poet now has three graded titles to his name having won this year's Connaught Cup (G2T) and the 2019 running of the Play the King (G2T).

He launched his career on August 25, 2017, finishing second in his debut before going to win his next two starts the following year.

Silent Poet paid $5.40, $3.70 and $2.80. The 5-8 exactor with City Boy ($10.60, $5.20) returned $51.60 and the 5-8-2 triactor with Kanthaka ($3.20 to show) paid $187.70. Olympic Runner completed a 5-8-2-9 superfecta worth $378.10 for $1.

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‘Spoiled’ Silent Poet Aims To Make Some Noise In Sunday’s Nearctic

Nine starters bring their turf talents to the Nearctic Stakes (G2), a six-furlong grass test for 3-year-olds and upward this Sunday at Woodbine.

The $250,000 Nearctic goes as the ninth of 11 races on a program headlined by the $600,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes (G1T) and $300,000 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes (G1T). The $100,000 Display Stakes, a seven-furlong main track event for two-year-olds, goes as race 10. First race post time is 1:10 p.m.

Multiple stakes winner Silent Poet, a five-year-old son of Silent Name (JPN), has won three of his past four races.

Bred and owned by Stronach Stables, Silent Poet kicked off his current campaign with an allowance score on June 11. The Ontario-bred took the Connaught Cup Stakes (G2T) next time out, then finished third in the King Edward Stakes (G2T) on August 15.

The Nicholas Gonzalez trainee, who has finished in the top three in 12 of his 13 past starts, heads into the Nearctic off a sharp score on September 27, a 1 ¾-length win over 6 ½ furlongs on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

“He always goes out there and gives you everything he has,” said Gonzalez, of the 2019 Play the King Stakes (G2T) winner. “Even if he's beaten, it never seems to be by much. He's a very versatile horse.”

And a contented one too.

“'Poet' is such a happy horse right now… spoiled with grass and clover, mints and carrots,” shared Gonzalez. “He loves his job and that makes mine so much easier.”

Silent Poet, who has assembled a 9-4-2 record from 17 starts, faces a group of rivals that includes multiple graded stakes placed Blind Ambition, last year's Nearctic winner City Boy, graded stakes champ Guildsman, graded stakes victor Kanthaka, and Royal North Stakes (G2) winner Lady Grace.

City Boy, bred and co-owned by the late Gustav Schickedanz, returned $50.70 for his upset win in the 2019 Nearctic. Trainer Mike Keogh notched his second Nearctic title, having taken the 1999 renewal with Clever Response.

$250,000 Nearctic Stakes (Grade 2) – Race 9

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Reconfigure – Skye Chernetz – Robert Tiller

2 – Kanthaka – Luis Contreras – Graham Motion

3 – Blind Ambition – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

4 – Guildsman – Rafael Hernandez – Brendan Walsh

5 – Silent Poet – Justin Stein – Nicholas Gonzalez

6 – Lady Grace – Kazushi Kimura – Mark Casse

7 – Vanbrugh – Daisuke Fukumoto – Brad Cox

8 – City Boy – David Moran – Mike Keogh

9 – Olympic Runner – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Mark Casse

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