Admiralty Pier moves back to stakes company in Niagara
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Admiralty Pier, who rebounded off a subpar showing at Churchill Downs here on July 4, will move back up to stakes company in Sunday’s $100,000 Niagara, an overnight event going about 1 1/8 miles on the main turf at Woodbine.
Admiralty Pier, a front-runner trained by Barbara Minshall, began his season by running second with a career-high 102 Beyer Speed Figure in a 1 1/8-mile allowance at Keeneland in April. He stretched out to 1 1/2 miles on May 15 in the Louisville at Churchill, during which he set a moderate pace before tiring to finish nearly 10 lengths back in 12th.
When back on Lasix here July 4, Admiralty Pier wired second-level allowance opposition going 1 1/16 miles. Minshall felt that going without Lasix wasn’t an excurse for Admiralty Pier in the Grade 3 Louisville.
“We were stabled at Keeneland and he had to ship to Churchill that day,” Minshall recalled. “He got really wound up. He was sweaty. He wasn’t himself. The jock didn’t know him.
“A mile and half is probably a little too far for him. I think he’s really good up to 1 1/4 miles. You can just throw that race out. The race before at Keeneland, he was cool as a cucumber, and ran well there.”
Steven Bahen will ride 6-year-old Admiralty Pier for Hoolie Racing Stable and Bruce Lunsford.
Horse-for-course March to the Arch should be favored off a good second to 2020 Canadian Horse of the Year Mighty Heart in his season opener in the Grade 3 Dominion Day on the Tapeta.
March to the Arch took the Grade 2 King Edward here last August with a powerful stretch kick, before ending up second to Starship Jubilee in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile. A wide trip led to his downfall in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland.
Patrick Husbands retains the mount on March to the Arch, who is trained by Mark Casse for last year’s Sovereign Award-winning owner Live Oak Plantation.
Belichick, who won his maiden in last year’s 1 1/2-mile Breeders’ Stakes, seems ready for a peak race in his third run of the season. He hit the front too soon before getting nailed on the wire in a May 13 first-level allowance on the grass at Churchill. When switching to the Tapeta here July 3, he cleared the first allowance condition after a stretch battle with Tecumseh’s War.
Current is the first Woodbine starter for Canadian-born Jamie Begg, a former Casse assistant. Current wound up third in his last start in a second-level allowance at Monmouth Park.
Theregoesjojo, a former competitor in the Woodbine Turf Endurance Series, was recently second here in a second-level allowance for trainer Mike DePaulo.
Mnemba Island was supplemented at a cost of $2,000.