More Than Ready Gelding Has Last ‘Word’ in Northern Dancer

Say the Word uncorked a last-to-first rally in Sunday’s GI Northern Dancer S. at Woodbine to post a mild upset. The dark bay dropped out the back under Emma-Jayne Wilson as favorite Admiralty Pier did as he pleased up front. He was ridden for more to inch slightly closer heading for the home as stablemate and fellow Sam-Son representative Count Again (Awesome Again) took the first run at the pacesetter. Admiralty Pier and Count Again continued to trade jabs to midstretch, but neither had any response for Say the Word as he blew to the front over the top with Sir Sahib (Fort Larned) mirroring that move to complete the exacta.

“It was perfect actually,” Wilson said of her trip. “The first time I rode him, [trainer Gail Cox] let me know that Junior Alvarado from Saratoga had said that he was funny with his mouth, he could be a little sensitive and to trip him [out] in a certain sort of way. Last time, we got the on -hole going a mile and a quarter, and I just got shuffled back. It took me a bit to just kind of get on the same page with him last time, being as sensitive as he was. I mean, he ran well, he ran third, but he was coming on end.

“So today, I was more confident with him, more ground and I knew where the line was with him for my hands and give and take. He settled for me beautifully; I literally just held the mane for pretty much the first mile and a quarter. Then as I gathered him up, I knew…I just knew. He was gaining on them last time and I just knew when he straightened, he was already in flight and it was going to be tough to beat him.”

Say the Word upended a 1 3/16-mile Saratoga optional claimer Aug. 14 at 51-1 while being offered up for the $62,500 tag. He was most recently third behind Count Again and Sir Sahib in the 10-panel GIII Singspiel S. here Sept. 19. His lone 1 1/2-mile outing came when second in the 2018 Breeders’ S. here while under the tutelage of Graham Motion. Say the Word made two starts for Gail Cox last fall, including a fourth in the GIII Durham Cup on this main track. He was then off the board in a trio of tries for Neil Howard at Fair Grounds, and returned to the Cox barn to be sixth in a local optional claimer June 20.

“I think this horse kind of likes to know the people that he’s with, so he’s not one that’s easy to shift around all the time,” Cox said. “He also loves this turf course and he loved the distance. Last year, he was sent to me and we ran him on the Tapeta, and it was not to his liking.”

The Samuel family’s Sam-Son Farm upped its record win tally in the Northern Dancer to eight Sunday.

Sunday, Woodbine
NORTHERN DANCER TURF S. PRESENTED BY PATTISON-GI, C$340,200, Woodbine, 10-18, 3yo/up, 1 1/2mT, 2:29.87, gd.
1–SAY THE WORD, 121, g, 5, by More Than Ready
                1st Dam: Danceforthecause, by Giant’s Causeway
                2nd Dam: Dancethruthestorm, by Thunder Gulch
                3rd Dam: Dance Smartly, by Danzig
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
WIN. O/B-Sam-Son Farm (ON); T-Gail Cox; J-Emma-Jayne
Wilson. C$216,000. Lifetime Record: 25-5-2-4, $445,292. *1/2
to Rideforthecause (Candy Ride {Arg}), GSW, $291,226. Werk
Nick Rating: B+. Click for eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Sir Sahib, 121, g, 5, Fort Larned–Xs Belle, by Dynaformer.
O-Stronach Stables; B-Adena Springs (KY); T-Kevin Attard.
C$60,000.
3–Admiralty Pier, 123, g, 5, English Channel–Full Steam Ahead,
by Kitten’s Joy. ($100,000 Ylg ’16 FTSAUG). O-Hoolie Racing
Stable, LLC & Bruce Lunsford; B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-Barbara
Minshall. C$30,000.
Margins: 1, 1 1/4, HD. Odds: 5.80, 5.70, 2.15.
Also Ran: Count Again, Woodbridge, Nakamura, Jungle Fighter, Peace of Ekati. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

Pedigree Notes:

Say the Word is the 25th highest-level winner (92nd graded/group winner) for international sensation More Than Ready) and is out of a Giant’s Causeway mare like MGISW Verrazano. He is one of 26 Grade I/Group 1 winners out of Giant’s Causeway dams. Say the Word’s third dam is none other than legendary Hall of Famer Dance Smartly. This is the extremely productive female family of Smart Strike, Dancethrudawn, et al. Danceforthecause, whose 4-year-old son Rideforthecause was fourth in the GI E.P. Taylor S. two races later on the card, produced a Distorted Humor fily in 2019 and a Street Sense filly this term. She was bred back to Twirling Candy.

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Souper Sensational Gives Casse Ninth Glorious Song Stakes Triumph

Live Oak Plantation's 2-year-old filly Souper Sensational kept her record perfect with a stunning score on Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, while giving Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse a record ninth Glorious Song Stakes title.

Jockey Patrick Husbands sent the 3-5 favorite to the lead through a first quarter in :22.76 in the seven-furlong main track sprint. Heidi (Daisuke Fukumoto) pressed the pacesetter to the half in :45.78 with Rocket Reload (Justin Stein) looming outside, but Souper Sensational left them all in the dust down the lane as she kicked four lengths clear to score in 1:21.84.

“She's on her game right now and I don't want to disappoint her. I want to ride her like the best horse,” said Husbands of his front-end strategy.

Souper Sensational paid $3.20 to win. Javanica (Emma-Jayne Wilson) won the race for place as she closed along the rail from the back, while another Casse trainee, Right to Freedom (Rafael Hernandez), bested the late-closing Charlie's Penny (Kazushi Kimura) for third prize after stalking the winner throughout.

“I don't want to be smart, but she's one of the best so far I've got on as a 2-year-old,” praised Husbands, who noted he was immediately impressed by the filly in her morning works and was aboard for her 2 1/4-length winning debut on September 26. “All this horse has got is 'green light.' You could do anything with her. She's just a three-year-old in a two-year-old body.”

Bred in Kentucky by Newtownanner Stud, the daughter of Curlin was a $725,000 yearling purchase at the Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Select Sale. She is the third foal out of the Indian Charlie mare Kateri, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Tiz Miz Sue and 2018 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Bulletin.

Casse and Husbands, who is now a seven-time winner of the Glorious Song, have teamed up for five of their wins. Live Oak Plantation has won this event three times in partnership with Casse, starting with Let It Ride Mom (Rafael Hernandez) in 2016 and Souper Charlotte (Eurico Rosa Da Silva) in 2018.

The victory in Saturday's featured event gave Casse his fourth win through the first eight races on the card.

Live Thoroughbred racing continues on Sunday with a stellar stakes program featuring the $600,000 E. P. Taylor Stakes (Grade 1) and the $300,000 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes presented by Pattison (Grade 1). The $250,000 Nearctic (Grade 2) and $100,000 Display complete the stakes line-up. First race post time is set for 1:10 p.m.

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Curlin Rising Star With Another ‘Glorious’ Performance

TDN Rising Star‘ Souper Sensational (Curlin) made it two wins from as many trips to the races with a highly impressive victory in Saturday’s Glorious Song S. at Woodbine.

Favored at 3-5 to add to a facile 2 1/4-length debut success in a salty local maiden Sept. 26, the $725,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga graduate was outfooted early, but mustered speed up the inside to lead prior to the entrance to the turn. Skipping along nicely into the final two furlongs despite some pressure to her outside, Souper Sensational pinched a winning break in upper stretch and was never in any danger. Javanica (Medaglia d’Oro) ran on well from last to complete the exacta ahead of the winner’s longshot stablemate Right To Freedom (Constitution).

“I don’t want to be smart, but she’s one of the best so far I’ve got on as a two-year-old,” said winning jockey Patrick Husbands. “All this horse has got is ‘green light.’ You could do anything with her. She’s just a 3-year-old in a 2-year-old body.”

The 70th black-type winner for her sire, Souper Sensational is out of an unraced half-sister to GISW Tiz Miz Sue (Tiznow), dam of this year’s Japanese-based G3 UAE Oaks third Serein (Uncle Mo); and Bulletin (City Zip), winner of the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. Kateri, who was purchased by Sallusto & Albina, agent for Newtown Anner Stud, for $167,000 in foal to Paynter at FTKFEB in 2016, is the dam of a yearling colt by Maclean’s Music and a weanling full-sister to Souper Sensational. She was most recently covered by American Pharoah. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

GLORIOUS SONG S., C$100,000, Woodbine, 10-17, 2yo, f, 7f (AWT), 1:21.84, ft.
1–SOUPER SENSATIONAL, 120, f, 2, by Curlin
1st Dam: Kateri, by Indian Charlie
2nd Dam: Sue’s Good News, by Woodman
3rd Dam: Montera, by Easy Goer
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. ($725,000 Ylg ’19 FTSAUG). O-Live Oak Plantation; B-Newtownanner Stud (KY); T-Mark E Casse; J-Patrick Husbands. C$60,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $77,753.
2–Javanica, 120, f, 2, Medaglia d’Oro–Shuruq, by Elusive Quality. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Eoin G Harty. C$20,000.
3–Right to Freedom, 118, f, 2, Constitution–Tiz Terrific, by Tiznow. ($35,000 Ylg ’19 KEESEP). O-Gary Barber; B-T F Van Meter & Fanfare (KY); T-Mark E Casse. C$11,000.
Margins: 4, 1, 1 3/4. Odds: 0.60, 10.10, 22.75.
Also Ran: Charlie’s Penny, Rocket Reload, Reinforced, Heidi.

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Trio Poised for Rematch in E.P. Taylor

The top three finishers in this summer’s GII Dance Smartly S. regroup in Sunday’s GI E.P. Taylor S. at Woodbine. Leading the fray in the Aug. 15 event, Augustin Stable’s Theodora B. (Ghostzapper) used the 10-furlong test as a stepping stone to a front-running victory in the 10 1/2-panel TVG S. at Kentucky Downs Sept. 15. Three for four this season–the sole off-the-board finish was registered on Woodbine’s synthetic surface–the 5-year-old is trained Michael Dickinson.

Peter Brant, Mrs. M V Magnier and Mrs. Paul Shanahan’s Etoile (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) finished only 3/4 of a length a drift of Theodora B. in the aforementioned Dance Smartly in only her second start in the U.S. for trainer Chad Brown. Victorious in Saint-Cloud’s G3 Prix Cleopatre while under the guidance of Jean-Claude Rouget at three, the French-bred closed to finish eighth-beaten 4 1/2 lengths-in her U.S. and sophomore debut in the GI Gamely S. at Santa Anita in May. Rafael Hernandez, aboard in the Dance Smartly, reunites with the 4-year-old for her Grade I unveiling.

Rounding out the triumvirate is John McCormack’s Elizabeth Way (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), trained by Canadian Hall of Famer Roger Attfield. On the board in one of five starts in her native Ireland, the chestnut reeled off two straight wins for her new connections at Gulfstream this winner–including the 9 1/2-furlong GIII The Very One S.–before finishing third in the GIII Orchid S. over 11 panels in March. A well-beaten 13th in Churchill’s GIII Mint Julep S. May 30, the daughter of graded winner Maid’s Causeway (Giant’s Causeway) bounced back to annex the one-mile GII Nassau S. June 27. Following her Dance Smartly third, she ran an even fourth behind the re-opposing Ridefourthecause (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the Sept. 12 GII Canadian S. The latter steps up to Grade I competition off of a two-race win skein for trainer Gail Cox and Sam-Son Farms.

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