Frosted Over Takes Ontario Derby At Woodbine

Mark Casse's Swot Analysis led from gate to the far turn, but it was the other Mark Casse trainee that hit the wire in front as Gary Barber's Frosted Over took over the lead at the top of the stretch to win the Grade 3 Ontario Derby at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.

In a field of eight, Swot Analysis was away from the gate fastest, taking the lead as the field approached the first turn. On the backstretch, his lead was 1 1/2 lengths over Frosted Over with British Royalty and Riptide Rock behind him.

Around the far turn, jockey Kazushi Kimura and Frosted Over moved closer to Swot Analysis, pulling even with the frontrunner as they hit the Woodbine straight. Frosted Over had no trouble pulling clear of Swot Analysis, jumping to the lead and pulling away to win by 3 1/2 lengths. Riptide Rock was second and Artie's Storm took third.

The final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:50.50. Find this race's chart here.

Frosted Over paid $19.40, $7.40, and $4.00. Riptide Rock paid $3.70 and $3.00. Artie's Storm paid $4.40.

Bred in Kentucky by G. Watts Humphrey Jr., Frosted Over is by Frosted out of the Candy Ride mare Candy Crush. The 3-year-old colt was consigned by Lane's End and sold to Justin Casse, agent, for $275,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale. With his win in the G3 Ontario Derby, Frosted Over has three wins in four starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of 6-3-0-0 and career earnings of

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Ontario Derby, Ontario Damsel Highlight Sophomores On Sunday’s Card At Woodbine

The Grade 3 $150,000 Ontario Derby, for 3-year-olds, and the $125,000 Ontario Damsel, for 3-year-old fillies, co-headline Sunday's 10-race card at Woodbine.

Riptide Rock, a son of Point of Entry, heads into the 1 1/8-mile main track Ontario Derby off a runner-up effort to British Royalty (who'll also run) in the Breeders' Stakes, final jewel in the OLG Canadian Triple Crown series, on Oct. 3.

The Stronach Stables' homebred, trained by Canadian Hall of Fame inductee Sid Attard, has assembled a record of 2-3-1 from nine starts.

His most recent win came in a six-furlong Tapeta race on July 16 at the Toronto oval. After a narrow miss in the Queen's Plate – Riptide Rock was second, a head back of Safe Conduct – the gelding was third in the turf Toronto Cup, before earning silver in the Breeders' Stakes.

“He's doing very, very good,” said Attard. “He's coming into the race in good order. I'm very happy with him.”

Riptide Rock launched his career on Oct. 17, 2020, sweeping to the front in mid-stretch to take the six-furlong turf dash by 1 ½-lengths as the 2-1 choice, in what was his lone 2-year-old appearance.

The chestnut then headed south for his next four starts, three at Oaklawn, one at Monmouth, before arriving back at Woodbine ahead of his July victory over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

“I like everything [about the horse],” said Attard. “He's a very easy horse to train, always does what you ask of him, and always tries every time. It's a nice horse to be around. He's always there whenever he races. You know he will always try, and he will always give his best.”

It's exactly what Attard is expecting from Riptide Rock on Sunday.

“I think this distance will be perfect for him.”

Field Pass, owned by Three Diamonds Farm, and trained by Michael Maker, took the 2020 Ontario Derby in a time of 1:48.35.

Seven sophomore fillies, including Woodbine Oaks Presented by Budweiser champ Munnyfor Ro, are set to contest the Ontario Damsel, a 1 1/16-mile main track event.

Owned by Raroma Stable, the daughter of Munnings is 3-2-2 from 11 starts.

The chestnut, to be ridden by Justin Stein, heads into the Ontario Damsel off a victory in the Wonder Where Stakes, third leg of the Canadian Triple Tiara, on Oct. 2.

Other hopefuls include Gold for Kitten (4-0-1, from 5 starts), Alywow Stakes winner Lady War Machine, and multiple graded stakes placed Oyster Box.

First post time is 12:55 p.m. Fans can also watch and wager on all the action via HPIbet.com or the Dark Horse Bets app.

$150,000 ONTARIO DERBY

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Artie's Storm – David Moran – Paul Buttigieg

2 – Dolder Grand – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

3 – British Royalty – Luis Contreras – Barbara Minshall

4 – Frosted Over – Kazushi Kimura – Mark Casse

5 – Riptide Rock – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Sid Attard

6 – Master of the Ring (S) – Justin Stein – Michael Stidham

7 – Swot Analysis (S) – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse

8 – Hit the Point – Shaun Bridgmohan – Vito Armata

$125,000 ONTARIO DAMSEL

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Munnyfor Ro – Justin Stein – Kevin Attard

2 – Salty as Can Be – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse

3 – Gold for Kitten – Kazushi Kimura – Brendan Walsh

4 – Lady War Machine – Patrick Husbands – Josie Carroll

5 – Seasons – Shaun Bridgmohan – James Toner

6 – Oyster Box – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Graham Motion

7 – Sweet Souper Sweet – Eswan Flores – Michael Trombetta

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Field Pass Edges Belichick For Lemon Drop Kid Exacta In Ontario Derby

It looked as though Field Pass would be standing on the sidelines rather than the winner's circle, but a late burst of speed netted the son of Lemon Drop Kid top prize in a thrilling edition of the $134,000 Ontario Derby (Grade 3), Saturday at Woodbine in Toronto, Ontario.

Ridden by Kazushi Kimura, Field Pass found a seam in deep stretch and recorded a one-length win as the 5-2 second choice, as he held off Breeders' Stakes champ Belichick (also by Lemon Drop Kid) and a game Malibu Mambo to win the 1 1/8-mile added-money event. Mutuel favorite, Mighty Heart, who won the Queen's Plate and Prince of Wales Stakes, finished fourth.

It was Mighty Heat who seized control of the 3-year-old race early on, with Malibu Mambo, Field Pass and Dune of Pilat keeping tabs on the Maryland-bred grey through an opening quarter-mile in :24.30 and a half-mile clocked in :47.92.

As Rafael Hernandez urged Mighty Heart to continue his front-running ways, Malibu Mambo, under Justin Stein, and Belichick, with Luis Contreras in the irons, began to circle in on the leader. Meanwhile, Field Pass found himself in traffic trouble, as Kimura worked to find an opening with the Three Diamonds Farm silk bearer.

In deep stretch, Kimura and Field Pass bulled their way between Belichick and Malibu Mambo en route to the Michael Maker trainee's sixth career win in 15 starts.

The well-traveled colt covered the distance in an impressive 1:48.35, just missing the track record of 1:48.24 established by Global Access on September 28, 2019.

“My planning was that I didn't want to get too forward, but I didn't want to send him to the front,” said Kimura. “That was the perfect position, just waiting for room.”

The win was the fifth from nine starts on the campaign for Field Pass, who now has a trio of Grade 3s (the others are this year's runnings of the Jeff Ruby Steaks, and Kentucky Utilities Transylvania Stakes).

He arrived for his first Woodbine start after back-to-back finishes in a pair of Grade 2 events, the American Turf Stakes on September 5 at Churchill Downs, and the Twilight Derby on October 18 at Santa Anita.

With the Ontario Derby win, Field Pass, who broke his maiden in his second start on July 13, 2019, at Saratoga, is 6-2-3 from 15 starts.

“Such a classy horse,” praised Kimura. “I've watched him many times, winning replays. He's nice, a nice horse.”

Field Pass paid $7.70, $4.50, and $2.80, while Belichick returned $5.30 and $3.40. Malibu Mambo, the 2020 Queen's Plate winter book favorite, paid $3.90 to show. The 1-2 exactor paid $27.60, while a 1-2-8 triactor came back $144. A $1 Superfecta of 1-2-8-6 (Mighty Heart) returned $214.55.

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Canadian HOTY Title Likely To Be Decided Saturday at Woodbine

While the U.S. Horse of the Year race was all but decided when Authentic (Into Mischief) won the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 7, the race for the Canadian title remains wide open entering a Saturday card at Woodbine that will feature the four top contenders for the year-end honor.

The sentimental favorite is the 8-year-old Pink Lloyd (Old Forester), but he will face one of the toughest tests in his career when he goes in the GII Kennedy Road S. A loss could open the door for 3-year-olds Belichick (Lemon Drop Kid) and Mighty Heart (Dramedy), who, combined, swept the Canadian Triple Crown races for trainer Josie Carroll.

Starship Jubilee (Indy Wind), who beat males in the GI Woodbine Mile, may be the best horse who was based at Woodbine this year, but she is not eligible for the Sovereign Awards because she hasn’t met the minimum requirement of having three starts in Canada this year.

The Kennedy Road will be the last start this year for Pink Lloyd, who, at age 8, hasn’t slowed down. He is 4-for-4 on the year and remains one of the most popular horses in recent years in Canada.

“At his age, 99% of the horses take a step back,” said trainer Bob Tiller. “There are horses running in $8,000 claimers that he ran against as a 4-year-old. That he’s still at that level at this age is unbelievable. He’s from outer space. He loves running and is just a very happy horse.”

Pink Lloyd is 26 for 31 lifetime and has not lost a race since 2018, but rarely has he faced the type of field that will line up against him in the six-furlong Kennedy Road. The biggest threat may come from Ride a Comet (Candy Ride {Arg}). Trained by Mark Casse and the winner of the 2018 GII Del Mar Derby, he returned after a 25-month layoff to win a Woodbine allowance Oct. 16.

“Ride a Comet is an extremely, extremely talented horse,” Casse said. “I was very impressed with his first race in over two years. I thought it was a tremendous race. He won with ease. This race is a little shorter than he prefers, but we’ve got to give him a shot. He’s had a couple of injuries along the way, but he’s very healthy now. If he can stay healthy, he will be a horse to be reckoned with throughout North America, not just Woodbine, in 2021.”

Silent Poet (Silent Name {Jpn}) is another Kennedy Road starter who could easily spring the upset. He is 4-for-5 on the year and has won the GII Nearctic S. and the GII Connaught Cup, but has little experience on a synthetic surface. Should he win the Kennedy Road, he may also be in the mix for Horse of the Year.

“This is certainly one of the toughest fields our horse has ever faced,” Tiller said. “There have been two or three other times where it looked like he might be in trouble and he got it done. But this is a tough race, a salty race. There’s no question about that. There are two very good horse in there that he has to beat. (Silent Poet) is a very, very good horse. He’s done all his winning on the turf, but ran respectfully on (Tapeta) when he tried it and I think he’s a better horse now than he was then. I totally respect him. The race for (Ride a Comet) the other day was awesome. I very much respect him.”

Pink Lloyd will carry 128 pounds, two more than Silent Poet and seven more than Ride a Comet.

Mighty Heart, a one-eyed horse, won the first two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown, the Queens Plate S. and the Prince of Wales S. only to come up well short in the final leg, the Breeders’ S. on the grass. He finished seventh that day, beaten 20 1/4 lengths after getting hooked up in an early pace battle with a 101-1 shot. Carroll has since replaced jockey Daisuke Fukumoto with Woodbine’s second leading rider, Rafael Hernandez. That may help and so, too, could the return to the Tapeta surface. Mighty Heart has run poorly in his two career tries on the grass.

But the Breeders’ S. was not a lost race for Carroll, who won it with the rapidly improving Belichick. Still a maiden entering the 12-furlong race, he won by four lengths. The main question for him Saturday will be the turn back in distance to a mile-and-an eighth for the GIII Ontario Derby.

Both Mighty Heart and Belichick will be facing open company after going through the Canadian Triple Crown races, which are restricted to Canadian-breds.

“It’s a pretty tough race,” Carroll said. “It’s not just the two of them. There are some pretty nice horses in there and it’s a solid race. Both of my horses came out of their last race in really good order so there was no reason not to go on with them.”

The main threats include Field Pass (Lemon Drop Kid), a Mike Maker-trained horse who won the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks S. in his lone try on a synthetic surface and has since won the GIII Transylvania S. Casse will be represented by Lucky Curlin (Curlin), who is coming off a second-place finish in the Toronto Cup S.

“When it comes to Horse of the Year, there are some deserving horses,” Carroll said. “If Mighty Heart were to win this race after winning the two Triple Crown races, I think he’d be a pretty legitimate contender. If Belichick wins, I am not sure the voters would think he had accomplished enough. We’ll see.”

Pink Lloyd was named Canadian Horse of the Year in 2017. Last year, despite going 6-for-6, he was nosed out by Starship Jubilee.

No horse older than six has ever been named Horse of the Year in Canada and if it’s going to happen this year Pink Lloyd will have to turn in one of the best races of his career on Saturday.

“It’s always a tough vote,” Tiller said. “They are all good horses. What happens here this week will decide a lot. Our horse is undefeated as an 8-year-old and is an unbelievably special horse. But I always feel that you have to respect any horse that does great things. Mighty Heart is a very good horse. He certainly deserves to win it. We have to go out there on Saturday and do it. I am very confident that he will run a huge race.”

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