Woodbine Racetrack | Horse Racing Free Tips

Mutamakina Makes Dance Smartly Hers At Woodbine

Mutamakina (GB) stalked the pace set by Alnaseem (GB), waited for the final turn to make her move, and held off a challenge from Chad Brown's Etoile in the stretch to win the Grade 2 Dance Smartly at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. The 1 1/4-mile race, part of the Queen's Plate undercard, saw the daughter of Irish sire Nathaniel get her first G2 victory for owner Al Shira'aa Farms and trainer Christophe Clement.

Breaking from post six, Dylan Davis put Mutamakina in behind front runner Alnaseem, with Blame Debbie behind them on the rail in third. Mutamaking was never more than a length behind the leader, as Alnaseem set fractions of :25.98 for the first quarter and :50.32 for the half-mile. Inside the half-mile, Alnaseem looked poised to make the Dance Smartly hers in a wire-to-wire performance, but Davis put Mutakmakina in gear as they approached the top of the stretch.

Into the stretch on a firm E.P. Taylor turf course, Mutamakina pulled even with Alnaseem and then accelerated past her. Irad Ortiz, Jr. moved Etoile from the rail through a hole between horses, finding running room two-wide in the straightaway, but it was not enough to catch the Clement trainee. Mutamakina held off a fast-closing Etoile and Merveilleux to win the G2 Dance Smarty by a half-length. Court Return was fourth. Blame Debbie, Alnaseem, and Afleet Katherine round out the order of finish.

The time for the mile and a quarter was 2:01.26.

Mutamakina paid $8.80, $3.50, and $2.60. Etoile paid $2.60 and $2.10. Merveilleux paid $3.30.

Bred in Great Britain by Widgham Stud, Mutamakina is a 5-year-old mare by Nathaniel out of the Danehill mare Joshua's Princess (GB). She was consigned by New England Stud at the 2017 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and purchased by Shawn Dugan, agent, for $137,225. The Dance Smartly is Mutamakina's first win in four starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of four wins in 15 starts.

The post Mutamakina Makes Dance Smartly Hers At Woodbine appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Our Flash Drive Gives Casse, Live Oak Another Woodbine Stakes Win

Live Oak Plantation sent out two starters in the Grade 3 Ontario Colleen, but it was the Mark Casse trainee Our Flash Drive who brought home the win in the one-mile turf event at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. Under Patrick Husbands, the daughter of Ghostzapper stalked Sweet Souper Sweet throughout the first six furlongs, took over the front on the final turn, and skipped away to a two-length win in the G3 stakes on the Queen's Plate undercard.

Coming off her last-out win in the Grade 3 Selene, also at Woodbine, Our Flash Drive broke out of the second post cleanly, Husbands taking up position behind fellow Live Oak horse Sweet Souper Sweet, trained by Michael Trombetta, who held a one-length lead, with Speightstown Shirl third. Through early fractions of :24.42 for the first quarter and :48.35 for the half-mile, Sweet Souper Sweet held onto front runner status until the final turn. Husbands moved Our Flash Drive to the lead with ease, entering the stretch on the lead.

In the race's final furlongs, Our Flash Drive increased her lead while Seasons and Speightstown Shirl moved into second and third as they approached the wire. Perseverancia was fourth, with Misspell, I Get It, and Sweet Souper Sweet rounding out the field.

The final time for the one-mile G3 Ontario Colleen was 1:34.76 over a firm E.P. Taylor turf course. Find this race's chart here.

Our Flash Drive paid $6.90, $3.50, and $2.70. Seasons paid $6.20 and $3.90. Speightstown Shirl paid $2.90 to show.

Our Flash Drive is a 3-year-old filly bred in Florida by owner Live Oak. She is by 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper out of the unraced Dynaformer mare Dynamotor. Her win in the G3 stakes race brings her to a perfect 3-for-3 in 2021 and a lifetime record of three wins in five starts for career earnings of $180,937. Our Flash Drive is Mark Casse's fourth winner of the Ontario Colleen in the last five years, with Enstone (2017), Got Stormy (2018), and Chart (2020) also winning for the Hall of Fame trainer.

The post Our Flash Drive Gives Casse, Live Oak Another Woodbine Stakes Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Diabolic Gets Second Stakes Win in Catch A Glimpse At Woodbine

Diabolic, under a patient Antonio Gallardo, found daylight along the rail and took off in the stretch to win the $127,250 Catch A Glimpse Stakes, Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.

The daughter of Dark Angel-Seafront arrived at the 6 ½-furlong turf event for 2-year-old fillies off two straight scores to launch her career, including an impressive effort in the My Dear Stakes on July 31 at Woodbine.

Despite acting up in the gate, Diabolic, at even-money, settled down to deliver trainer Mark Casse and owners D.J. Stable LLC & Nexus Racing Club, with a natural hat trick.

Silver Magnatized and Curlin Candy dueled for the early lead as Gallardo and Diabolic were an unhurried seventh of eight through a quarter in :23.19.

After Silver Magnatized took the field through a half-mile in :46.29, Gallardo roused Diabolic, and as the field straightened for home, the pair took aim at the frontrunners, steadily gaining along the inside to grab a one-length lead at the stretch call.

At the wire, Diabolic was a one-length winner in a time of 1:15.81 over firm going. Royal Engagement was second, while Miss Barbara, also a Casse trainee, finished third.

“She ran pretty good off the pace,” said Gallardo after the local prep for the $400,000 Grade 1 Natalma Stakes on September 19, a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” event. “I saw a couple of horses with speed today going a little longer distance than last time, so I settled down; tried to save some ground. She's a nice filly. I saw the inside hole and I only asked her a little bit and she just rolled.”

The grey, bred in Ireland by Yeomanstown Stud, paid $4.30 for the win.

“She's improved,” said Gallardo. “Every race, she tells you she's something, no matter if it's five furlongs, 6 ½, Polytrack, 6 ½ on the turf… she's classy. She can do everything all the time.”

It was a fitting victory for Casse, who conditioned Catch A Glimpse, Canada's Horse of the Year, Outstanding 2-Year-Old Filly, and Outstanding Turf Female of 2015 after winning Woodbine's Grade 1 Natalma and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland.

The post Diabolic Gets Second Stakes Win in Catch A Glimpse At Woodbine appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

First Empire Gives Classic Empire First Stakes Winner In Soaring Free At Woodbine

First Empire, prominent throughout, took charge around the final turn and held off Degree of Risk to score by 1 ¾-lengths in Saturday's $140,250 Soaring Free Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.

The Soaring Free, a 6 ½-furlong turf race for 2-year-olds, attracted a field of six and kicked off the first of back-to-back four-stakes programs at the Toronto oval on Queen's Plate weekend.

First Empire, conditioned by Mark Casse, had finished a faltering fifth when debuting here on the Tapeta, but then was a game front-running winner over six furlongs of turf with returning rider Patrick Husbands in the irons.

“When I breezed him in the morning, he's okay, but on the grass, as he's shown in his last two races, he's a different horse,” said Husbands. “I had so much horse swinging for home. I knew it would take a real nice horse to beat him.”

In the Soaring Free, First Empire pressed Indiana invader Heaven Street while racing just outside through an opening quarter in :22.49 and led that one by a length as he got the half in :44.37.

Degree of Risk, invading from Illinois for trainer Eoin Harty, was making his turf debut and impressed, finishing second, despite racing greenly through the lane.

Heaven Street wound up third, 7 ¼-lengths behind the runner-up.

Twenty Four Mamba, who like First Empire is a son of the Casse-trained Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old Classic Empire, was another 3 ½-lengths back in fourth.

Concealed Carry never menaced in finishing fifth and Silent Farewell, a troubled second behind First Empire when debuting here August 1, failed to enter contention as the 9-5 favorite and checked in last.

The final time was 1:15.44.

Sent off as the 5-2 second choice, First Empire returned $7.80 and keyed a $53.70 exacta over 9-1 Degree of Risk. Heaven Street, at 5-1, completed a $97.05 ($1) trifecta and the superfecta with Twenty Four Mamba came back at $312.90 for $1.

First Empire, owned by Dick Bonnycastle's Harlequin Ranches, is out of the Macho Uno mare Silsita and is the first stakes winner for both his dam and his freshman sire. Bred by Saintsbury Farm, First Empire was a $60,000 yearling at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky's October sale.

Casse won last year's Soaring Free with Gretzky the Great, who used the race as a stepping-stone to success here in the Grade 1 Summer Stakes and went on to be honored as Canada's Outstanding Male Two-Year-Old.

This year's $400,000 Grade 1 Summer Stakes, a “Win and You're In” for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, will be run at Woodbine on September 19.

The post First Empire Gives Classic Empire First Stakes Winner In Soaring Free At Woodbine appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post