Artemus Citylimits looks to get back to winning ways
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The classy 9-year-old Artemus Citylimits goes for his ninth win in his 47th start in Thursday’s featured first-level allowance with a $32,000 claiming option, the opener on a seven-race card with a 3 p.m. post time.
Artemus Citylimits debuted around the time the coronavirus pandemic began in March of 2020 at Turfway Park, winning a maiden special weight with a $29,000 purse on Tapeta. The Ontario-bred evolved into a turf sprint specialist, taking the five-furlong Vice Regent Stakes for Ontario-breds here in August of last year over the same inner turf course as Friday’s headliner, which will be run at five furlongs.
Artemus Citylimits has been competing regularly since the Vice Regent and was victorious at this level here Nov. 23 before an unsuccessful two-race winter stint at Gulfstream Park. He switched trainers from Marty Drexler to Joe Sharp in March, after which he ran second in a $16,000 claiming race at Turfway before a chalky fourth here in an April 19 starter handicap. He led until deep stretch when second in a six-furlong Tapeta sprint here May 30 and has since breezed a half-mile in a bullet 36.40 seconds.
Eswan Flores retains the mount on Artemus Citylimits for the former Drexler assistant trainer Audrey Cheung, who is also sending out Silent Reserve for the first time. Silent Reserve was a speedy mainstay at Woodbine before getting claimed for $32,000 by Drexler while winning at this level a year ago. He subsequently went into a tailspin while failing to crack the top two in his next seven outings.
Silent Reserve was freshened after a dull seventh in an April 5 starter allowance at Gulfstream and has been working in his usual brisk manner leading up to this engagement. Sahin Civaci, Woodbine’s leading rider in 2024, has the mount and is here to stay following a long stint in New York.
Split Strike was another winter-raced entrant at Gulfstream, where he won a $25,000 conditioned claiming race on Feb. 6 before a series of competitive performances in starter allowances. His two inner turf races here were pretty good – a third behind Silent Reserve in June of last year and a close fourth in the 2023 Algonquin Stakes when he was a promising 2-year-old. Ryan Munger will get a leg up from trainer Tara Neigel on the New York-bred Split Strike, who is owned by Canada West Racing.
Rounding out the field are Forester’s Fortune, Caught Speeding, and One True Gentleman.
The win-shy veteran Forester’s Fortune hasn’t shown much since peaking in the summer of 2024, during which he was disqualified from a victory at this level and finished second to Outlaw Kid in the Vice Regent.
Caught Speeding is making his inner turf debut and first start since a belated third behind Artemus Citylimits Nov. 23. He placed in one of two races here on the main turf.
One True Gentleman wintered at Fair Grounds, where he filled out the exacta in a $20,000 conditioned claiming race on the grass in late February.
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