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Munnyfor Ro Best In Woodbine Oaks

Munnyfor Ro, under a patient ride from Justin Stein, took the 66th running of the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks presented by Budweiser Sunday at Woodbine Race Track in Toronto, Ontario.

Trained by Kevin Attard for Raroma Stable Inc., Munnyfor Ro was the last to load in the first leg of the Triple Tiara for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies, but was first when it counted most, perhaps setting herself up for a shot at Queen's Plate glory on August 22.

It was Lorena, undefeated in three starts coming into the Oaks, who was put on the front end by Gary Boulanger. Emmeline, under Emma-Jayne Wilson, settled into second, with Miss Marie and Il Malocchio racing side-by-side just off the leaders.

After a quarter-mile in :24.35, Lorena was still in command as Emmeline, to her outside, remained squarely in contention. Munnyfor Ro, with Justin Stein aboard, was cruising comfortably in the eighth spot, and was still there after a half-mile clocked in :48.41.

As the field began to envelop Lorena, Stein and Munnyfor Ro, sixth after three-quarters in 1:12.35, began to pick off their rivals one-by-one and were full of run around the turn for home. At the stretch call, the pair was a half-length ahead of a determined Emmeline, who continued to fight on along the rail.

At the wire, Munnyfor Ro was a 1 ¼-length winner. Emmeline stayed on for second, a nose ahead of Il Malocchio, with 85-1 Youens taking fourth. The final time was 1:50.31.

Munnyfor Ro, the 3-1 third choice, returned $8.70 for the win.

“I was told the key with her is to have her settled,” noted Stein. “The pace… it looked like there was probably some possibility of them stopping, which we didn't want to be in behind them. I put her in a spot that we could tip out in the turn when it came time to ask her to run from the quarter-pole home. We had a dream trip; worked out perfect.”

It was an Oaks first for Attard and a second for Stein, who teamed with Academic to take the 2015 running.

“We were expecting a good performance out of her,” said Attard. “She came up here this season in good shape from [trainer] Brian Lynch – had a great campaign over the wintertime. She ran a fabulous race [second] in the [Grade 3] Selene. I thought she'd move off that race forwardly enough to kind of be really competitive here today. Had a good interim breeze and put it all together.”

For owner Rajendra Maharajh, it was a perfect day from start to finish.

“My good buddy Art Fisher from Ocala picked her out for me,” said Maharajh, who named the horse for his son 'Ro.' “She came up here [last year] and ran two races. She was a little immature at the time. We sent her down to Florida and gave her the winter off and then with COVID, my other trainer, Brian Lynch, took her over and prepped her up and we were always planning for this race. Brian did a fabulous job getting her ready and then she came over just about a month ago and Kevin did the final touches on her and he did a fabulous job.”

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The Oaks win wasn't the only icing on the cake.

“It's just a wonderful story and today's my mom's 80th birthday,” shared Maharajh. “Everybody is here with us, so it's a family day and a lovely day.”

The decision to run Munnyfor Ro, now 2-2-2 from nine starts, in the $1 million Queen's Plate, will be made by the filly's connections in the coming days.

“These are the races you want to win growing up as a kid here in Ontario,” said Attard. “With Woodbine my home, the Oaks and the Plate are obviously those pinnacle races for those 3-year-olds – just really happy and satisfied to get it done today.

“A mile and a quarter is going to be her trip; I'm not worried about the distance. We'll see how she comes out of the race and then we're going to have to sit down and talk, and see if supplementing her is the next move.”

The Woodbine Oaks has served as a Queen's Plate stepping-stone for fillies. Oaks-Plate champions include Holy Helena (2017), Lexie Lou (2014), Inglorious (2011), and Dancethruthedawn (2001). In 2018, Oaks runner-up Wonder Gadot went on to win the Queen's Plate.

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At the Spa Leads Field Of Eleven For Sorrento At Del Mar

A field of 11 was entered Sunday for Friday's 53rd running of the $200,000 Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., a major stepping stone to the $300,000 Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante on September 5.

At The Spa, a California-bred daughter of Outwork bred and owned by Terry Lovingier and trained by Jorge Periban, comes in off a victory in the $100,000 Fasig-Tipton Debutante on June 20 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and will be tasked to go another eighth of a mile in the Sorrento while breaking from the outside post. The filly is also entered in Thursday's CTBA Stakes.

The field for the Sorrento from the rail with jockeys in parenthesis: She's So Shiny (Ricky Gonzalez); Smash Ticket (Umberto Rispoli); Eda (Abel Cedillo); Shesgotattitude (Trevor McCarthy); Loverheart (Drayden Van Dyke); It's Simple (Mario Gutierrez); Sax (Joe Bravo); First Promise (Jessica Pyfer); Elm Drive (Juan Hernandez); Roses For Suzzett (Emily Ellingwood) and At the Spa (Tyler Baze).

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Mendez Celebrates Dr. Schivel, Prepares Two For CTBA Stakes

The eyes of Luis Mendez took on a little extra sparkle Sunday morning when the subject turned to Dr. Schivel's victory on Saturday in the Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

Mendez trained Dr. Schivel in his first four career starts as a 2-year-old in 2020, culminating in a victory in the $300,000 Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity. The colt was privately purchased after an impressive maiden victory a month earlier and the new ownership, Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal, kept him in Mendez's care through the Futurity pending transfer to the stable of Mark Glatt.

And even though Dr. Schivel is no longer on his shedrow, the horse's success understandably generates feelings of pride in Mendez.

“It was beautiful, lovely, the best possible feeling,” Mendez said. “I'm really happy for the owners and Mark Glatt, too. I'm glad that the horse keeps going up and up. We had a barbeque and watched the race. I got some texts from people saying congratulations. It makes you feel good inside.”

Getting Dr. Schivel to the point he did has had a positive effect on Mendez and his career.

“I'm more comfortable and confident,” Mendez said. “Trainers I respect are now asking me (for advice) sometimes and I take that as a compliment.”

There's a large wooden sign with his name on it that identifies the area where Mendez has 18 stalls in the Del Mar stable area. And he'll saddle a couple of prospects from those stalls when Week Four of the summer season starts Thursday.

Mendez has Ko Olina and Drizella entered in Thursday's featured $100,000 California Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (CTBA) Stakes for California-bred 2-year-old fillies.

Sagely, Mendez isn't about to favor one over the other. He just cites their individual characteristics and is glad that sorting out the jockey assignments for them worked out without excess stress on himself.

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Edwin Maldonado, who had ridden them both in recent maiden wins, opted for Ko Olina, a daughter of Stanford owned by C T R Stables. That put Juan Hernadez, who had ridden Drizella in her first two starts, comfortably back in the irons of another daughter of Stanford owned by William R. Peeples.

“Ko Olina had me worried before she won here because she was really nervous and washed out before the race,” Mendez said. “Drizella had been very aggressive and kind of nervous going to the track to train before, but I like the way she has settled down and is acting now.”

The CTBA field from the rail with jockeys in parenthesis: Madiha (Umberto Rispoli); At the Spa (Tyler Baze); Lion's Lair (Tiago Pereira); Gianna's Wild Cat (Jessica Pyfer); Carmen Miranda (Giovanni Franco); Irish Wahine (Abel Cedillo); It's Simple (Mario Gutierrez); Ko Olina (Edwin Maldonado) and Drizella (Juan Hernandez).

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Glatt Says Dr. Schivel Exited Bing Crosby In Good Health

A year after winning the $300,000 Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes with 3-year-old Collusion Illusion, trainer Mark Glatt did it again Saturday with another sophomore colt, Dr. Schivel at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

It's the first time one trainer has won the premier sprint stake of the meeting back-to-back with 3-year-olds tackling older rivals. And, as Glatt states it, there's no secret or trick to pulling off the unprecedented.

“When you have a really good 3-year-old, like this horse and Collusion Illusion last year, going against older is not that big a factor,” Glatt said. “When you have just an average horse, I think (age) comes into play a lot more.”

Dr. Schivel, a Kentucky-bred son of Violence, broke his maiden here in his third career start last August and came back a month later to win the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity for trainer Luis Mendez in early September.

Transferred to Glatt's barn, the colt was given a nine-month layoff, then overcame some bumping to win his 2021 debut in a June allowance race at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., that signaled stakes readiness.

“After he won his comeback race, we were eyeballing a race in New York (Sunday's 6 ½-furlong, $200,000 Amsterdam) at Saratoga that was a straight 3-year-old race,” Glatt said. “As we got further removed from his comeback race we (considered) how difficult it is to ship in to Saratoga and how he loves this track.

“Several of the owners live around here and want to watch the horse run, so I thought it was best to stay here and give it a try.”

The $180,000 winner's share of the purse pushed Dr. Schivel's career earnings to $416,000 from six career starts. The Bing Crosby was a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the $2 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint over the same course on November 6.

Glatt said Sunday morning that Dr. Schivel and Law Abidin Citizen – third in the 2020 Crosby, fourth Saturday beaten less than a length – both came out of the race in good health. A third Glatt entrant in the Crosby, defending champion Collusion Illusion, was scratched due to a minor injury incurred in a training run Friday.

“It probably would have been safe to run him but the ownership group and I thought it was best to err on the conservative side and have him run another day,” Glatt said. “I don't know when, but I don't think that day will be very far off.”

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Trainer Bob Baffert said that Eight Rings, the Crosby runner-up beaten a neck at odds of 16-1, came out of the race with a shoe on one hoof that was bent nearly in half, but was otherwise fine.

“We were happy with him and thought he showed a lot of heart,” Baffert said. His next assignment remains to be determined.

Trainer Peter Miller reported that third-place finisher and 3-2 favorite C Z Rocket, beat only a half-length, exited the effort well. “He ran great, but you can't make up as much ground as he needed to on this track the way it's playing,” Miller said.

C Z Rocket will not defend his title in the $200,000 Grade 2 Pat O'Brien Stakes on August 28. “We'll wait for Santa Anita,” Miller said.

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