Bear'sway coming into his own for Display Stakes
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Bear’sway will look to extend his winning streak to three and capture his first stakes victory in Sunday’s $125,000 Display Stakes for 2-year-olds over 1 1/16 miles on Polytrack at Woodbine.
Bear’sway has won a maiden sprint and a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer in his last two starts. He has improved steadily since running second in a maiden race in his debut in August and then finishing sixth on turf in the Grade 2 Summer Stakes in September.
Trainer Reade Baker said he had hoped to get Bear’sway’s turf experiment out of the way in his career debut, but that race was washed off the grass.
“I wanted to give him one grass try, and he didn’t seem to care for it,” he said.
Baker said Bear’sway is in “great shape” heading into the Display.
Key contenders
Bear’sway (Last 3 Beyers: 84-66-56)
◗ Bear’sway set a moderate pace in taking the field gate to wire in his first start around two turns Nov. 8, but Baker said he doesn’t need the lead to be successful.
“He’ll go any way you want,” he said.
Monster Bea (Last 3 Beyers: 68-72-46)
◗ A private purchase this summer by trainer Mark Casse and owner Gary Barber, Monster Bea will make his synthetic-surface debut in the Display after stumbling at the start and losing his rider in the Awad Stakes at Belmont Park on Oct. 30.
◗ He finished fifth in his only other stakes start, the Grade 2 With Anticipation at Saratoga on Sept. 2.
“When we came over, he just lost it,” Casse said. “There was a huge crowd. It was just one of those times when nothing goes right.”
Ruck (Last 3 Beyers: 72-70-73)
◗ He’ll step up to face stakes company off a 2 1/4-length maiden win Nov. 8.
◗ He ran fifth in the Grade 3 Grey Stakes at this distance Oct. 4.
Greatest Game (Beyers: 72-71)
◗ He won his career debut over six furlongs with an ideal setup and stretched out to finish third behind Bear’sway in that optional claimer Nov. 8 last time out.
Mollydooker
◗ A first-time starter, he is trained by Katerina Vassilieva and is by Australian sire Lonhro, who also sired this year’s Coronation Futurity winner, Shakhimat.