Weyburn, Roman Centurian on Course for Wood Memorial

Chiefwood Stables' Weyburn (Pioneerof the Nile) breezed an easy half-mile in :50.93 seconds over Belmont's training track Wednesday in preparation for the Apr. 3 GII Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. A winner going seven panels in the Big A slop last December, the Ontario-bred kicked off 2021 with a nose victory in the Mar. 6 GIII Gotham S., a race in which Weyburn earned 50 qualifying points to the GI Kentucky Derby.

“He just ran hard [in the Gotham] and he's not the heaviest horse in the world, so he didn't really need anything more than what he did on Wednesday,” said trainer Jimmy Jerkens of the breeze.

Weyburn was recently made the 3-1 early favorite for the $1-million Queen's Plate Aug. 22 at Woodbine-the first jewel in the Canadian Triple Crown.

Don Alberto Stable and Qatar Racing's 'TDN Rising Star' Roman Centurian (Empire Maker) is likely to make his next start in the nine-furlong Triple Crown prep, offering 100 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the winner. The $550,000 KEESEP graduate finished fourth last out to the victorious Life Is Good in the Mar. 6 GII San Felipe S. at Santa Anita Park. The dark bay breezed back for the first time at covering a half-mile in :50.40 at Santa Anita Thursday.

“I think there's a very good chance that we will ship to New York,” said Callaghan. “He breezed very well [Thursday] and we were happy. He'll breeze again next week and it's looking more likely that we'll come.”

After a debut fourth sprinting in a maiden event won by Life Is Good in November at Del Mar, Roman Centurian stretched out to 1 1/16-miles for his second-out graduation Jan. 3 at Santa Anita. He exited that effort to finish a good second in the GII Robert B. Lewis S. at Santa Anita, rallying from last-of-six to miss by a neck to Medina Spirit (Protonico).

“I don't think the race set up very well for him last time,” added Callaghan. “We're hoping that with another race under his belt and moving to a track that we think will be more to his liking, that we'll see a good performance to move him forward.”

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Weyburn Tops Winterbook Edition Of 2021 Queen’s Plate Power Rankings

The Winterbook Edition of The 2021 Queen's Plate Power Rankings was released today featuring a list of 125 three-year-old Thoroughbreds nominated to the Canadian Triple Crown, topped by Chiefswood Stables' homebred Weyburn.

Weyburn has been pegged as the early 3-1 favorite in this year's set of predictive rankings for the 162nd running of the iconic $1 million Queen's Plate, first jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown, set for Sunday, August 22 at Woodbine Racetrack. Woodbine's annual Winterbook is assembled by Ron Gierkink and Alex Campbell of the Daily Racing Form.

Weyburn stepped into the 3-year-old spotlight with a gutsy nose nod in the Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct on March 6. Under Trevor McCarthy, the son of Pioneerof the Nile-Sunday Affair was sent off at 46-1 in the Grade 3 event. After a fifth-place finish in his career bow last October and a second in his next start in November, the dark bay has reeled off consecutive wins, including a maiden-breaking performance last December at Aqueduct. Chiefswood won the 2004 'Gallop of the Guineas' with Niigon. Trainer Jimmy Jerkens won the 2017 Plate with Stronach Stables' filly Holy Helena.

“He was a big, good-looking horse, very athletic and he was showing the signs early,” said Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame jockey and Chiefswood Stables' General Manager, Robert Landry, who was aboard Niigon for the Plate score 17 years ago. “He actually wanted to do more than he was ready to do as a young horse. “Obviously, seasoning-wise, he's still a big kid, and it [Gotham] was a big step up for him, going from a maiden win to a graded stakes race. “It wasn't the plan, but good horses overcome those kinds of things. Jimmy [trainer, Jerkens] was really happy with the way he was training and it all worked out.”

The 2021 game plan for Weyburn is still being mapped out by his connections.

His next start will most likely come in the Grade 2 $750,000 Wood Memorial on April 3 at Aqueduct. The 1 1/8-mile main track event is a key race on the road to the Kentucky Derby.

“Right now, our main focus is on the U.S. Triple Crown races, but we're not ruling out the chance that he could run in the Plate,” said Landry. “His next race will tell us a lot and we should have a clearer picture of what the plans are after that.”

Stephen, a bay son of Constitution-Naughty Holiday, is the second choice at 4-1. He ended his 2-year-old campaign in style, courtesy of a polished performance in the $250,000 Coronation Futurity Stakes. The victory was a maiden-breaking score for the bay owned by Al and Bill Ulwelling. After an eighth-place finish in the Simcoe Stakes to launch his career at the end of August, Stephen rallied to finish second in his next engagement, a 1 1/16-mile event in October. Bred by Trackwest Racing Inc., the sophomore is one of two (Haddassah) high-profile hopefuls for the Ulwellings and trainer Kevin Attard, both in search of their first Plate triumph. Attard, whose best finish in the Queen's Plate to date was with 2007 runner-up Alezzandro, was third last year with Clayton.

“In Stephen's second start, he got into a little bit of trouble and he had to wait, regain momentum, and then he came with a furious run at the end,” said Attard, of the finalist for Canadian champion 2-year-old male honours. “I was pretty impressed to see that, especially from a younger horse in his second start. Even though he didn't win that day, he ran a winning race. That's pretty exciting to see, obviously when you're going two turns and you have a Canadian-bred, then everything starts to ring in your head that maybe this could be the horse.”

Ranked number three at 6-1, Tio Magico could deliver iconic Canadian owner-breeder Sam-Son Farm with its sixth Plate crown. A son of Uncle Mo-Magic Broomstick, the Gail Cox trainee swept aside a troubled first start on September 7 to win his second appearance, on October 4, by a half-length, as the 2-1 choice. Tio Magico followed that effort up with a game second to Stephen in the Coronation Futurity. He made his 2021 debut on March 11, finishing third at Gulfstream in a 1-mile main track race. Sam-Son Farm, who will receive a special Sovereign Award at this year's annual ceremonies, notched their most recent Plate win with Eye of the Leopard in 2009.

“I thought it [most recent race] was a great effort,” said Cox. “I was really impressed. When he shipped here [Florida], he didn't put a foot wrong, had a great pre-race performance and I thought he ran really well. The winner [Prevalence] is a monster. He's a really nice horse. I was talking to the connections and they hope they are on the Kentucky Derby trail with that horse. I thought 'Tio' didn't give up after those fast fractions. He kept running. He still runs a little green. Junior [jockey, Alvarado] said he had a pretty good look at the horse before he got running again. His two races before, he fooled around a little in the stretch and ducked to the rail. This time, he was way more mature.

“I think he's maturing with every start,” continued Cox. “He had a pretty good gallop out too. This is what you want to see [on the road to the Plate]. I think his speed can be harnessed. I think he's going to become a horse that could possibly sit in behind a little bit or be the speed if nobody else is there. I think he's going to be quite manageable. The plan is that we'll be back to Woodbine around mid-April.”

Haddassah, a gelded son of Air Force Blue-Lady Haddassah, represents the Ulwellings (who also bred the bay) and Attard's other top Plate prospect. He is listed as the 8-1 fourth choice in the Winterbook. Sent off at 9-5 in his career bow last November at Woodbine, Haddassah didn't disappoint in his only start to date, making a strong late surge to record a half-length win in a 1 mile and 70-yard Tapeta race originally scheduled for the turf. The Ontario-bred (and Stephen) stayed with Attard in Ontario over the winter.“He had trained really well coming into that race,” recalled Attard. “If he wasn't going to win that race, a good horse was going to have to beat him. So, there weren't any surprises with him in terms of that first race just because he had shown a lot of talent from the get-go, and you anticipate that kind of effort. Luckily, that transpired. Both Haddassah and Stephen are settled in nicely at Woodbine. This week, you'll start to see them get into a routine now. We let them do a little bit last week, just stretching their legs, so that we can see where we're at. We'll start those foundation breezes and increase things as we go along.

“They [Ulwellings] are great guys. They are supportive of Canadian racing, they foal their mares here – it's nice to have those types of people, who put in the investment, get rewarded.”

Like his namesake, Gretzky the Great (10-1 in the Winterbook) has been just that over his six-race career, a resume that features three wins, one second and a third. Bred by David Anderson, the Mark Casse trainee contested his first four races at Woodbine, making three trips to the winner's circle, including the Soaring Free and Grade 1 Summer Stakes, to go along with a runner-up effort. After a sixth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf to close out his 2020 season, the colt, owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber, finished third in his 2021 curtain raiser, the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at Turfway Park on February 26. He is also a finalist for Canadian champion 2-year-old male honours. Casse has two Plate trophies, both with fillies, in 2014 with Lexie Lou and in 2018 with Wonder Gadot.

Dreaming of Drew, a daughter of Speightster-Dreaming of Liz, is one of several strong fillies found on this year's Winterbook list. Campaigned by champion trainer Barbara Minshall, the Hoolie Racing Stable LLC and Madaket Stable LLC rising star fashions a record of 2-2-0 from five career starts. The chestnut, who broke her maiden with a six-length score in her second start last July, was equally impressive in her final start of last year. Bet down to 4-5, Dreaming of Drew led throughout, en route to a 3 ¾-length victory in the $250,000 Princess Elizabeth Stakes. Listed at 12-1 in the Winterbook, she is a finalist for the 2-year-old female Sovereign Award.

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Weyburn ‘Bred To Have The Stamina And Built To Handle The Distance’ Of U.S., Canadian Classics

Rob Landry, Hall of fame jockey and Chiefswood Stables General Manager, shares his thoughts on Gotham Stakes upsetter Weyburn:

Horse: Weyburn
Sire: Pioneerof the Nile
Dam: Sunday Affair
Trainer: Jimmy Jerkens
Owner & Breeder: Chiefswood Stables
Record: 2-1-0 from 4 starts

On Weyburn's Gotham score…

“It's nice to start the year with a win like that. We've always had high hopes for this guy. The plan wasn't really to run in him there – we were going to run him in an allowance race – but as it turned out, it worked out really well. This is what you hope to achieve, to win races like this with good horses. Winning a race like this just solidifies what we're trying to achieve.”

On the dark bay's grit down the lane…

“No, I wasn't surprised. That whole family, Yorkton [a multiple graded stakes winning son of Speightstown-Sunday Affair] was a gutsy-running horse and the same thing with his other half-brother Nipigon [a multiple graded stakes placed son of Niigon-Sunday Affair], who always fought hard. Obviously, seasoning-wise, he's still a big kid, and it was a big step up for him, going from a maiden win to a graded stakes race. It wasn't the plan, but good horses overcome those kinds of things. Jimmy [trainer, Jerkens] was really happy with the way he was training and it all worked out.”

On showing his talent early on…

“He trained really well as a young horse when we had him down in Ocala. He was training well and we were really happy with him. Every foal out of that mare [Sunday Affair] has been a runner. That's always telling too. He was a big, good-looking horse, very athletic and he was showing the signs early. He actually wanted to do more than he was ready to do as a young horse. I'm just happy with our whole team, from our broodmare farm, to our training centre, to our people in Ocala, to Jimmy – it's a team effort. Everyone has done a tremendous job with this horse. I'm just very happy for everyone and the owners.”

On upcoming plans for Weyburn…

“Obviously, I didn't nominate him to the U.S. Triple Crown with the way we were going. We had a couple of minor setbacks with a foot bruise and some other little things that caused us to miss a race. I don't like to force horses somewhere they're not ready to go. He stepped up and we have a little time to make the supplemental payment for the U.S. Triple Crown. I'll talk to Jimmy and Mark and Bob Krembil [Chiefswood] as well.”

“We don't know if that [Queen's Plate] is the direction we'll go with him. If we think he's good enough to compete in the U.S. Triple Crown, being a different schedule, we still do have a shot at being in the Plate. We've nominated him for the Plate, but we do have some others that could potentially run in there as well.”

On similarities between Weyburn and Niigon, the Chiefswood horse Landry won the 2004 Queen's Plate with…

“He does remind me of Niigon. Weyburn is also bred to have the stamina and is built to handle the [1 ¼ mile] distance. This is a really nice horse we have here now.”

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Mighty Heart’s Groom Siobhan Brown ‘Counting Down The Days’ Before Woodbine Meet

Some 1,600 kilometres east of Woodbine in Nova Scotia, Siobhan Brown, groom of 2020 Queen's Plate and Prince of Wales champ Mighty Heart, is preparing to head back to Ontario, more specifically, to Hall of Fame trainer Josie Carroll's Barn 39 operation.

The native of Cape Breton, NS, who'll start her fourth year working for Carroll, is keeping her mind occupied with a daily dose of Netflix offerings.

Thinking about the five horses she'll have under her care, including one-eyed wonder Mighty Heart, takes up even more of her time.

“I'm going crazy,” said Brown. “I'm counting down the days. I just can't wait to get back. I think about Mighty Heart daily, but I also think about my other horses. It's just so exciting. You wonder what the year is going to bring. Twirling Faith, one of the horses I take care of, she won at Gulfstream on Valentine's Day. I watched the race on TV and I was screaming every step of the way, trying to tell her what to do. That's the way I am with all my horses… I really can't wait to see what the year brings.”

Brown is scheduled to arrive in Toronto around the middle of March, and in accordance with the strict safety protocols put in place by Woodbine, will quarantine for 10 days before getting to work on the backstretch.

When she does return, she'll have some special gifts in tow, including a nearly six-foot plush inchworm.

Yes, you read that correctly.

The recipient of the stuffed toy is the mare Grey Seal, aka, “Gracie,” a strong-willed 6-year-old daughter of Mizzen Mast.

“Grey Seal, she needs to have a stuffed toy. She likes to have one with her at all times. But I love all of my horses. Every one of them has their own unique personality. My goal each year is always to have each horse win a race. I want them to have that moment because when a horse wins, it's as though they know they've done well. They are just so proud of themselves. It's nice when they that moment because they deserve that. More importantly, I just want them to know I'm there to take care of them and to make sure they are loved.”

Brown, who received widespread media attention after Mighty Heart's high-profile victories, is looking forward to reestablishing the bond she had with the horses under her care in 2020.

She counts those relationships as amongst the most important ones in her life.

“I've always told people that it's not a career… I just love it. Ironically, I'm not a morning person, but when I pull up to the barn and it's the warmer weather and the car windows are all down, my horses know my car and they come to the gate. You hear that nickering in the morning before it's even light out. It's a beautiful sound. It's so rewarding. Through my own sports, I've experienced the satisfaction of being successful, but it's something so different and so special with horses. Even just watching them breeze or train, it's amazing to see it all unfold and know that you've played a role in it.”

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