Woodbine: Miss Scarlet Road tries again at same level

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Miss Scarlett Road was a beaten favorite in her four starts at the Ontario-sired nonwinners-of-three allowance class, but managed to hit the board on each occasion. She will take another crack at it Wednesday at Woodbine in the third race, which will be run over seven furlongs for a purse of $56,000.

Miss Scarlett Road cleared the first Ontario-sired allowance condition second time out May 4, scoring by four lengths over a modest field. Sixteen days later, she checked in second to the front-running Blues Dancing in the $125,000 Lady Angela, a seven-furlong stakes for Ontario-sired 3-year-old fillies.

Miss Scarlett Road faded to sixth against older allowance opposition over five furlongs on the grass at Fort Erie in the July 1 Rainbow Connection Stakes. Her streak of low-priced losses commenced when she ran second in two shorter sprints in August.

Miss Scarlett Road surrendered a clear lead in the stretch when third going seven-eighths Sept. 16. Most recently, traveling six furlongs, she was farther back than usual in sixth on the backstretch before rallying wide for second behind 32-1 shot White Road.

Luis Contreras inherits the mount on the Sid Attard-trained Miss Scarlett Road from Patrick Husbands, who’s riding Kay’s Grace.

Kay’s Grace graduated third time out with a fat 78 Beyer Speed Figure on July 29, when she romped home on by 4 1/2 lengths in a seven-furlong maiden special. A month later, she gave up a five-length lead in the lane to end up second as the favorite in an Ontario-sired allowance, but she was able to beat nonwinners-of-two stock at that level in another seven-furlong event Sept. 14.

Kay’s Grace was scratched from the Sept. 30 Classy ’n Smart Stakes after acting up in the gate. She was favored in an Ontario-sired allowance route Oct. 20, in which she set a fast pace on the outside before fading to fifth after drifting out in the stretch.

Kay’s Grace drew well toward the outside and should welcome the turnback to a long sprint. Lisa Bury trains the large gray/roan filly.

Trainer Bob Tiller entered two daughters of Bold Executive – Executive Driven and Princess Pick, who finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in White Road’s Oct. 8 triumph.

Executive Driven raced quite wide in all three of her tries at this level, resulting in a third and two fifth-place finishes. Her new rider, Todd Kabel, teamed up with Tiller to win a race last Saturday.

Princess Pick narrowly won her first two starts of the year, including an allowance, but has struggled in the interim. Steve Bahen has the mount.

Completing the field are Ashighastheheavens, Soap Opera Star, and Love in Egbert.