Are You Serious finds good spot

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Are You Serious will try to regroup following several subpar efforts when he returns from a short layoff in Friday's Woodbine headliner, an optional $62,500 claimer at six furlongs.

Are You Serious, a 5-year-old gelding trained by Bob Tiller, has won two stakes, the 2005 Kennedy Road and the 2006 Bold Venture. Are You Serious is winless in five starts this year, but he ran some solid races in the spring, commencing with a runner-up placing to Vibank in the allowance prep for the Jacques Cartier Stakes. In the April 14 Jacques Cartier itself, he was a distant third behind Stradivinsky and Judiths Wild Rush, arguably the two best sprinters at Woodbine.

Are You Serious lost a heartbreaker in the Grade 3 Vigil Stakes, finishing a neck behind Just Rushing in second after dueling through slow fractions. He was never in contention on the grass a month later, June 1, in the allowance prep for the Highlander Stakes.

Are You Serious was eased most recently in a $100,000 optional claimer over 1 1/16 miles on the Poytrack July 5. He is entered with a $62,500 claiming tag on Friday, and is shortening up to six furlongs, the distance of his Kennedy Road triumph.

Also entered in Friday's feature are the stretch-running My Lucky Strike, front-runners Tommy Shanks and Put Upon, and 3-year-olds Prince Atlantis and Gantu.

My Lucky Strike, an 8-year-old with $660,703 in earnings, came from 10 lengths back to capture a $62,500 sprint July 29, and received a 90 Beyer Figure. He comes off an 11th-place finish in a turf sprint at this level.

Tommy Shanks won a weak entry-level allowance going 6 1/2 furlongs in his penultimate outing. Last out, he finished third in My Lucky Strike's July 29 triumph after getting away a little slowly.

Put Upon bombed on the grass in his latest, which came at this level, and was claimed for $62,500 by trainer Ralph Biamonte. He earned an 88 Beyer when taking an optional $62,500 contest June 20, and got a 96 Beyer in his victory over $50,000 claimers April 29.

Prince Atlantis ran gamely on the lead before weakening to fifth last time in a restricted stakes on the grass at Saratoga. He won three consecutive Polytrack races here in the spring before ending up fourth in the Charlie Barley Stakes on the turf.

Gantu wound up second to Dashing Admiral when meeting older rivals on the grass at this optional-claiming level July 18.