Canadian championships on line in Grey, Mazarine stakes
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Kevin Attard sends out contenders in both of Woodbine’s important Grade 3 route stakes for 2-year-olds on Sunday – Moira in the $150,000 Mazarine for fillies and Hicksy in the $150,000 Grey.
Moira came from near the rear of a 10-horse field of Canadian-breds to land her debut in a professional manner in the 1 1/16-mile Princess Elizabeth Stakes on Oct. 23. Since then, the daughter of Ghostzapper has worked impressively, including five-eighths in a bullet 59.80 seconds last Sunday.
“She had a nice breeze last week,” Attard said. “She’s put on a little weight since her race, which is nice.”
The Mazarine could determine divisional honors for Canadian champion 2-year-old filly between Moira, Kanta, Aubrietta, and Mrs. Barbara.
Kanta prevailed on the stretchout to a route second time out with a 75 Beyer Speed Figure here Oct. 9. Trained by Jonathan Thomas, the imposing daughter of leading sire Into Mischief has remained here with sub-trainer Katerina Vassilieva since graduating.
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“She’s real professional, a very talented filly,” Vassilieva said. “I love the way she’s been training and working every week. I think she’s going to be real tough in there. She might be the real deal.”
Aubrietta is going long for the first time off a daylight score in the seven-furlong Glorious Song Stakes. The daughter of Speightster possesses the pedigree of a sprinter-miler.
Mark Casse trains Aubrietta and Mrs. Barbara, who overcame an inside bias to win a 1 1/16-mile maiden special coming wide from off a fast pace with a 75 Beyer on Nov. 7. She was previously fourth behind Wild Beauty and Pizza Bianca in the Grade 1 Natalma.
Grey Stakes
Hicksy has won his last two starts sprinting with an 80 Beyer each time, running down the favored speedster Ironstone most recently in the seven-furlong Display Stakes.
A son of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Hootenanny, Hicksy has the pedigree of a miler and Attard is well-known for his prowess with stretchouts.
“I don’t think [the distance] is going to be an issue for him,” Attard said. “He seems to be rateable.”
Unbeaten The Minkster manhandled restricted company in both of his outings, in a maiden-special turf sprint and the 1 1/8-mile Coronation Futurity on Tapeta. Trainer Danny Vella thinks highly of the son of recently deceased English Channel.
“He’s a lovely horse,” Vella said. “We knew that going into the maiden race.
“We asked an awful of him going from 6 1/2 furlongs on the grass to a mile and an eighth on the main track, but he’s the type of horse who you knew was going to do those type of things better than some. He’s still a little green, but for his second start he did awfully well.”
God of Love graduated over yielding turf in the 1 1/16-mile Cup and Saucer Stakes, before a troubled fifth-place finish as the favorite in the Coronation. Like Hicksy and The Minkster, a Grey victory would bolster his case for Canadian champion male 2-year-old honors.