Avoman looks to end eight-race losing streak

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Questions abound regarding Thursday’s nominal feature at Woodbine.

Can the classy Avoman break out of his slump in the $25,000 claimer? Will Sunrise Drive be able to duplicate his career-best last-out race? Can Life Is Hard win over 1 1/16 miles again?

Six-year-old Avoman won the Bull Page Stakes at 2 and the Plate Trial Stakes at 3 before a sixth-place finish in the Queen’s Plate, all for trainer Don MacRae, who lost him for $40,000 in spring 2022.

Avoman captured the Steady Growth Stakes late in 2022. MacRae claimed him back for $32,000 last fall, and the son of Old Forester has gone winless in eight starts since the Steady Growth. When dropping to this price in his second race off the sidelines on July 12, he finished a close fourth after a three-wide trip in a much-improved effort on the inner turf. MacRae has decent turf-to-synthetic numbers, and apprentice Pietro Moran retains the mount.

Sunrise Drive has competed predominantly in starter/optional claimers since spring 2023 and ended a drought when winning his last race. Sent off at 13-1, the 6-year-old came from well off an honest pace to win going away by four lengths with a career-best 80 Beyer Speed Figure. Runner-up Bachelor Pad won his next race in a gutsy display.

Keveh Nicholls will ride Sunrise Drive again for trainer Danny Yu. Going back five years, Yu is 1 for 10 with last-out winners, with a return on investment of $4.41. Four of those runners finished in the money.

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Life Is Hard wintered at Oaklawn Park, where he ran some strong races in dirt sprints without finding the mark. He earned Beyers of 94, 87, and 86 in a series of conditioned allowance/optional claimers. The 6-year-old was claimed by trainer Norm McKnight for $30,000 from a poor showing going a mile there May 4.

McKnight won a nonwinners-of-three Tapeta route here June 9 with Life Is Hard. The Munnings gelding was a respectable fourth behind next-out winner Clayton when turning back to six furlongs most recently with a $30,000 claiming tag. The barn’s go-to rider, Rafael Hernandez, takes over for the move back out in distance.

Second-leading trainer Marty Drexler sends out A Rose for Raven and Prideofdistinction in the seven-horse field.

A Rose for Raven was campaigned at Gulfstream Park from last spring to January, when he finished second for $12,500 and was a slow-starting fourth in a $25,000 conditioned claimer. When favored in his local debut and first start for Drexler at this level June 21, he closed from off a quick pace for second behind Bachelor Pad.

The long-distance turf expert Prideofdistinction is starting for the first time since ending up ninth among three next-out winners in the Grade 3 Valedictory on Tapeta on Dec. 3. The 10-year-old prevailed in the final leg of the Woodbine Turf Endurance Series in October.

Post time for the eight-race card is 4:50 p.m.

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