Woodbine: Kapitale, Scalo pair up for turf work

Michael Burns

Scalo (left) and Kapitale work five furlongs on turf together on Tuesday at Woodbine.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The main turf course was open for the second straight day here Tuesday to give candidates for Sunday’s Grade 1 Woodbine Mile, Grade 1 Northern Dancer, and Grade 2 Canadian a chance to test the surface for their respective events.

But the only horses to haven taken advantage thus far are Kapitale, a 4-year-old filly who is eyeing the $300,000 Canadian at 1 1/8 miles, and her stablemate Scalo, a 5-year-old horse whose target is the $500,000 Northern Dancer at 1 1/2 miles.

The “dogs” were well out and the turf was rated firm as Kapitale and Scalo, both of whom are based in Germany and trained by Andreas Woehler, went five furlongs in company.

Kapitale, under exercise rider Lisa Kruellmann, was on the inside as Scalo, under Marketa Cernocka, broke off just behind her.

The two finished together, with the clockers giving Kapitale a time of 1:02 with a “breezing” designation and Scalo 1:01:80, “handily.”

“Perfect,” was the reaction of Wohler to Tuesday’s workout.

“Scalo doesn’t like to go too long on the lead; he’s a lazy bugger. I was happy with the filly as well.”

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Scalo shipped in last month and finished a closing third, beaten one length, in the Grade 2 Sky Classic over 1 1/4 miles of turf here Aug.  19 with an eye toward the Northern Dancer and the Oct. 14 Canadian International over the same distance and surface.

Kapitale also has a North American start under her belt, having finished a closing fourth in the Grade 1 Beverly D. over 1 3/16 miles of turf at Arlington on Aug. 18.

Wigmore Hall, the defending champion in the Northern Dancer, arrived from Europe late Saturday night after having made an earlier trans-Atlantic trip for the Aug. 18 Arlington Million and has taken light exercise on the Polytrack the last few mornings.

The locals eyeing the Northern Dancer are Musketier and Forte dei Marmi, both trained by Roger Attfield; Irish Mission, a 3-year-old filly conditioned by Mark Frostad; and Celtic Conviction, a longshot who will be sent out by Mike Doyle.

Al Khali, a close third in last year’s Northern Dancer, is slated to ship in from Saratoga for trainer Bill Mott.

Barefoot Lady, who is trained in England by Richard Fahey and is the only other European invader for the Canadian, is coming off a solid fourth against males in the Grade 3 Strensall Stakes over 1 1/8 miles of turf at York.

“She’s settled in well,” said Alyson Deniel, who gets on Barefoot Lady in the mornings and is the 4-year-old filly’s sole caregiver here.

Expected in from south of the border for the Canadian are All Star Heart, who is based in California with trainer Ron McAnally; Shimmering Moment, trained at Fair Hill by Francis Abbott III; and Laughing, trained by Alan Goldberg at his Colts Neck Stables in New Jersey.

Locals on tap for the Canadian are Indian Pond, conditioned by Mark Casse; Moment of Majesty, from Sue Leslie’s stable; Smart Sting, trained by Attfield; and Stars to Shine, from Frostad’s barn.