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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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The Minkster Takes On 13 Rookie Rivals In Saturday’s $250,000 Coronation Futurity

Fourteen hopefuls, including Dan Vella's charge The Minkster, are set to square-off in the $250,000 Coronation Futurity, which headlines a trio of stakes on Saturday at Woodbine.

The 1 1/8-mile Tapeta event for Canadian-foaled two-year-olds is a significant race on the road to the 163rd running of the Queen's Plate, the first jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. The $125,000 Display Stakes, for two-year-olds, and the $125,000 Glorious Song Stakes, for two-year-year-old fillies, will go as races three and nine, respectively. Both are seven furlongs on the Tapeta.

Dan Vella, in search of his first Coronation Futurity crown, will send out The Minkster. The bay son of English Channel impressed in his career bow on October 2, a 6 ½-furlong sprint over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

Under David Moran, who will be in the irons again on Saturday, The Minkster, at 5-1, broke inward and bumped with a rival, but recovered to hold a slim lead along the backstretch. After forcing the pace from the rail on the turn, the colt took the lead in the stretch, widened his advantage down the lane and coasted home a 6 ¼-length winner.

The final time over good ground was 1:17.19.

“I was expecting a really big effort,” said Vella. “You never quite expect it to be that easy. That win was even easier than it looks on paper. He was pretty much geared down and ran green, but he's a very talented horse. I don't know what the limit is on him. I don't know if there is one. When they came back, David said that he still had a lot of horse. He said, 'Wait until he figures out how to run in a straight line.'”

Bred by Dr. Tan Hyka and owned by Sea Glass Stables LLC, The Minkster will now tackle a series of firsts, including two turns and a run over the Tapeta.

Vella, a lifetime winner of 858 races, is confident his juvenile, a $52,000 yearling purchase at the 2020 CTHS Ontario Sale, can handle the assignment.

“I couldn't ask him to get ready any better. He's very happy with the time between races. He's not a really big horse. He's very athletic, but he's not a giant. I was very happy to have the four weeks to get him ready to where I want him. We're ready and we're excited.

“I've had a few English Channels and they are late to mature mentally and physically. He matured a lot from that race, but he has a lot more to do. Very few English Channels reach their peak in the first race of their life. They get nothing but better with age and racing. He's got some learning to do yet, but he can run.”

Vella has similar high praise for his Glorious Song contender Marie MacKay.

The bay daughter of Noble Mission (GB), bred and owned by Donald Whalen and Track West Racing, took the Shady Well Stakes on October 8 at Woodbine.

“We're going to take a shot at the open company and seven-eights. She's a lovely filly. We don't know what her limits are. We haven't reached them. She has a load of talent. She's training super, so we're going to give it a go.”

Other Coronation Futurity starters include a trio of Mark Casse starters, Fast Feet, God of Love, and Lament, and three Kevin Attard trainees, Hidden Honor, Kiddie Holiday, and Laraque, as well as Stronger Together, trained by Sid Attard.

Stronger Together, a chestnut son of Liam's Map, has posted a pair of bronze medal finishes in his two career starts.

Bred by Jim Dandy Stable and owned by Spruce Park Stable, the colt's most recent effort came in the Cup & Saucer Stakes on October 10 at Woodbine.

With Justin Stein in the saddle, Stronger Together stumbled at the start of the 1 1/16-mile turf event, but was able to regroup and finish third, 2 ¾-lengths behind God of Love.

One race prior, the chestnut, steadied at the start of the 1 mile and 70-yard Tapeta race, then ninth and 12 lengths behind the leader at the half-mile junction, rallied to net the show award, only a neck behind the winner, Shamateur, at the wire.

“This is a very nice horse,” said Attard. “I thought he has run two very good races. He's doing very well coming into this race and hopefully he builds off those first two starts and has a big race.”

Ayrshire Lad won the first running of the Coronation Futurity in 1902. The late Avelino Gomez won four straight (1964-67) editions of the race, a feat duplicated by Sandy Hawley (1973-76). The last horse to notch the Futurity-Plate double was Norcliffe in 1975-76.

The 118th running of the Coronation Futurity is slated as race eight on Saturday's 11-race card. First post time is 12:55 p.m. Fans can also watch and wager on all the action via HPIbet.com and the Dark Horse Bets app.

$250,000 CORONATION FUTURITY

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – J M R Best of Turf – Christopher Husbands – Steven Chircop

2 – Brutality – Daisuke Fukumoto – Michael De Paulo

3 – Dancin in Da'nile – Shaun Bridgmohan – Gail Cox

4 – Shamateur – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Michael Doyle

5 – Laraque – Eswan Flores – Kevin Attard

6 – God of Love – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse

7 – Mad Mocha – Sahin Civaci – Stuart Simon

8 – Kiddie Holiday – Antonio Gallardo – Kevin Attard

9 – The Minkster – David Moran – Dan Vella

10 – Fast Feet – Kazushi Kimura – Mark Casse

11 – Rum Cup – Patrick Husbands – Barbara Minshall

12 – Lament (S) – Gary Boulanger – Mark Casse

13 – Stronger Together – Justin Stein – Sid Attard

14 – Hidden Honor – Luis Contreras – Kevin Attard

$125,000 DISPLAY

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Ironstone – Ademar Santos – Willie Armata

2 – Heat Merchant – Gary Boulanger – Ralph Biamonte

3 – Optigogo – Kazushi Kimura – Eoin Harty

4 – Souper Legacy (S) – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

5 – Hicksy – Antonio Gallardo – Kevin Attard

6 – Twenty Four Mamba – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse

7 – Dancin in Da'nile – Shaun Bridgmohan – Gail Cox

$125,000 GLORIOUS SONG

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Aubrieta – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

2 – Chocolateaddiction – Luis Contreras – Josie Carroll

3 – Elegant Joy – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Eoin Harty

4 – Howdyoumakeurmoney – Antonio Gallardo – Michael Trombetta

5 – Fulminate – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

6 – Fifth Anniversary – Keveh Nicholls – Ricky Griffith

7 – Skylerville – Kazushi Kimura – Jonathan Thomas

8 – Marie MacKay – Justin Stein – Dan Vella

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‘Very Special’ Summer Sunday Headlines Friday’s Eternal Search At Woodbine

Summer Sunday, a six-year-old daughter of Silent Name (JPN), chases her ninth career stakes score in the $100,000 Eternal Search Presented by HBPA Ontario, Friday at Woodbine.

Trained by Stuart Simon for owners Anne and William Scott, Summer Sunday arrives at the 7 ½-furlong Inner Turf event for Ontario-sired fillies and mares, three-year-olds and up, in solid form, having gone 1-2-0 in her past three starts.

After a runner-up effort in July in the Ballade Stakes to kick off her current campaign, the bay, bred by Trinity West Stables Ltd., won the Zadracarta Stakes on September 10.

She returned $10 for the win.

Canada's champion female sprinter in 2019 heads into the Eternal Search off a second-place performance in the Grade 3 Ontario Fashion Stakes on October 3.

“She's doing really well,” offered Simon. “She just continues to be a very special horse for us.”

The conditioner shared the game plan for Summer Sunday, who sports a 10-3-1 mark from 20 starts.

“She's a little over $900,000 Canadian in earnings. She's going to run this time and one more time after that, if all goes well, and if she wins one and runs second in the other, she would break the million-dollar mark or be right on it. That would be nice to do that with her.”

After those races, Summer Sunday will stamp her passport and head to Ireland.

“She's going to be a broodmare and she's going to have a forever home with Mr. Scott's relative in Ireland. So, all being well with her, knock on wood, she'll race on Friday and again on December 4 (La Prevoyante Stakes), then she'll be retired. It's very nice to know that she's going to a place where she'll be well looked after for the rest of her days.”

Summer Sunday launched her career with a win on July 15, 2017, going on to net the natural hat trick to complete her rookie season with a perfect three-for-three mark, which included victories in the Nandi and Muskoka Stakes.

Simon, who has 835 career wins, continues to marvel at the mare's versatile ways.

“I didn't raise her, but I did buy her as a yearling, and I've had her for her whole career. Not taking anything away from all of the great horses that have been here, but most of them are really good at one thing, probably, whether it's running short or running long, turf or synthetic.

“She has won stakes races from five furlongs up to a mile-and-a-sixteenth on all three surfaces at Woodbine. She's won a five-furlong race on the Inner Turf, she's won multiple graded stakes on the main track, and she's won a graded stakes race on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course, as well as a two-turn Open stakes race on the synthetic. Not many of the past champions and good horses here have that kind of diversity.”

The Eternal Search is slated as race seven. First race post time is 4:45 p.m. Fans can also watch and wager on all the action via HPIbet.com or the Dark Horse Bets app.

$100,000 ETERNAL SEARCH STAKES

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – November Fog – Shaun Bridgmohan – Sarah Ritchie

2 – Royal Wedding – Daisuke Fukumoto – Nathan Squires

3 – She's a Dream – Luis Contreras – Josie Carroll

4 – Summer Sunday – Rafael Hernandez – Stuart Simon

5 – Hello Friends – David Moran – John LeBlanc Jr.

6 – Golden Vision – Omar Moreno – Tino Attard

7 – Preferred Guest – Antonio Gallardo – Mark Casse

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The Gift Of ‘Something Extra’: Trainer Gail Cox ‘So Happy’ To Have Millionaire At LongRun

Gail Cox didn't need to be standing at the fence to know how the scenes would play out.

On a sunny, crisp autumn day at the picturesque farm, the treelined 100-acre home to over 50 retired Thoroughbred horses, a group of visitors strolled about the property, carrots in hand, happily interacting with the horses.

“This guy, who we call Charlie, was a million-dollar earner on the racetrack,” heralded Vicki Pappas to those who had gathered. “He loves people and he loves attention.”

Pappas, a founding member and longtime chairperson of LongRun, one of the continent's most respected horse retirement and adoption organizations, and the first industry-funded adoption program in Canada, appreciates the presence, personality and popularity of the horse known as Something Extra during his racing days.

“He is such a hambone and a wonderful ambassador when we have visitors to the farm… they all love to meet a millionaire,” said Pappas, who was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame this year in the Builder category. “You can tell how much ego he has, and that's what made him such a good racehorse. When his paddock mates start running around, he likes to lag behind them, pretending he can't keep up, and then just comes on and blows them away. But you can see that he loves the attention and adulation from anyone he meets.”

That was more than evident on this day as the 13-year-old gelding readily, although gently, accepted each carrot he was given, nudging his head forward to take as many pats as he was offered.

For Cox, the woman who trained and co-owns the dark bay son of Indian Charlie, those moments, something she's heard of countless times, always elicit a wide smile.

“He's a real people horse, he always has been,” noted the multiple graded stakes winning conditioner.

Bred in Kentucky by Gulf Coast Farms, Something Extra was originally purchased for $85,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale by Cox for herself and co-owner John Menary.

Competing mainly at Woodbine, Something Extra recorded his first stakes win in the Grade 2 Connaught Cup in 2012 and repeated that feat one year later. In 2014, he won the Grade 2 Highlander Stakes, and in 2015 he took his show on the road to win Keeneland's Grade 3 Shakertown. He contested two Breeders' Cup Turf Sprints, in 2014 and 2015. After a handful of graded stakes efforts in 2016, he was retired with a career mark of 9-10-7 from 39 career starts, along with earnings of $1,015,394.

“He had this wonderful natural speed,” praised Cox. “He went fast very easily and carried that speed so well. Three-quarters was a great distance for him, but nothing ever shook him up. That win in the Shakertown was probably the one race that stands out for me. It's not easy to win a stakes race at Keeneland, but he did, and he did it so impressively.”

When his racing days were through, Cox's attempt to convert Something Extra into her track pony didn't pan out – his competitive spirit couldn't be satiated by walking babies to and from the track.

“That was my original idea, to make him my pony because I didn't want to let him go,” recalled Cox. “The barn, everyone loved him. He had all of us trained. But he wanted no part of being a pony – too much racehorse. He had started the pony training in Ocala, and it was going fine. But he likes to be the boss around other horses, so when they would lay against him, he didn't like that. So, that didn't work out. Charlie would have none of it.”

She then thought of LongRun.

Cox warmed to the idea of seeing her beloved horse live a serene life in retirement, one where he could interact with other horses and the hundreds of visitors the property sees throughout the year.

“I'm so happy that LongRun exists,” said Cox. “He was a really special horse for us and he still is. He's a horse that I will protect for the rest of his life. The first year at the farm, seeing him look different than he did on the track, it was very strange to see him like that. But he looks fantastic. They found the right horses for him to be turned out with… I'm so happy that he's there.”

Cox, who along with Menary, fully sponsors Something Extra, visits the farm several times throughout the year.

“It's obvious that she loves him to death, pays him lots of visits and tells us how great he looks,” said Pappas. “That means the world to all of us at LongRun, makes what we do worthwhile to know our efforts and those of this lovely horse are appreciated.”

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Scorching summer afternoons, bone-chilling winter mornings and everything else in between, Cox, always bearing some type of gift for Charlie, is never in a rush when she's at LongRun's facility, situated a little less than an hour's drive north of Woodbine Racetrack.

“I see him before I go to Florida with my horses in the winter, as soon as I come back, and other times too.”

Those are, she said with a smile, times well spent.

“Whenever I see him, it brings back a lot of wonderful memories, those two Breeders' Cups, winning that stake in Kentucky. Every time I pull into the property, so many things go through my mind. Just seeing him happy makes me happy. I always bring him carrots and mints.”

The latter is a must-have on Cox's trips to LongRun.

“He's a mint hound. He'll do anything for those. They took him to a fair a couple of years ago, before COVID, and put him in a paddock where he could walk around. He'd follow everyone who had mints and when they'd stop, so would he. I love hearing those stories and I also just love having that one-on-one time with him.”

Those moments often stir recollections of the bond the two had forged years ago.

“I don't know… it just kind of happened. That connection really progressed when he was three. I would get on him, back when I was galloping, and we really clicked. Then there was the traveling. Any racetrack he went to, I also went there in some capacity. I always wanted him to know I was there for him.”

She still does.

As for those scenes, the playful interactions between Charlie and everyone he meets, they will always hold special meaning for Cox.

“I know how much he loves people and I hope people get that sense from him, that he gave them a special experience.”

Hopeful, that he was able to provide all with the same two words found on his halter.

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