Chiefswood sends pair in maiden turf mile

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – It’s been 20 years since jockey Robert Landry rode Niigon to victory in the prestigious Queen’s Plate for Chiefswood Stables.

Landry, who went on to become Chiefswood’s longtime general manager, was hoping for another Plate score this year for the operation, which didn’t materialize, but their homebred Kin’s Concerto took the Woodbine Oaks over the eventual King’s Plate winner, Caitlinhergrtness.

Kin’s Concerto bypassed the King’s Plate in favor of the Bison City Stakes on Aug. 10, in which she finished a dull seventh. Landry said the daughter of Mendelssohn is getting some much-deserved time off.

“We ran her back quick in the Bison City, and I don’t think she wants that,” Landry said. “She obviously didn’t run her race. I just sent her to the farm to give her a break. We had her in Florida all winter. She didn’t run a lot, but she trained” extensively.

Landry said Toronto Cup Stakes winner Piper’s Factor will bypass the $400,000 Breeders’ Stakes on Sept. 29 at Woodbine, but they have several other possibilities for the anchor leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, which will be contested around a full lap of the main turf.

“I don’t think he wants to go a mile and a half,” Landry said. “He’s kind of an in-and-outer. I think he likes the cooler weather.”

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Chiefswood made two rare purchases during the first session of the Keeneland September yearling sale, a $325,000 Uncle Mo colt and a $900,000 Into Mischief colt.

“We weren’t really planning on buying anything,” Landry said. “Usually, we buy fillies if we do buy, but we came across those two colts and we liked them.”

Chiefswood sends out two of the seven runners – Apophis and Running Lights – in Thursday’s second race, a one-mile maiden special on the main turf. Both geldings are trained by Layne Giliforte.

Apophis finished fourth when debuting in a June 15 maiden sprint on the main course. When going 7 1/2 furlongs around two turns on the inner turf Aug. 25, he chased a fast pace before fading late to third. The son of Candy Ride is a half-brother to stakes-winning router Ghostly Presence and stakes-placed Causin’ Mayhem.

“He’s doing well,” Landry said. “Layne’s happy with him. We were having a hard time getting races for him earlier. I think he just needed the last two races. One day, he popped through the gate and they ended up scratching him, and then he came back and ran third. I think the turf really helps him and I expect him to run well.”

After getting away slowly, Running Lights was a non-threatening seventh the only time he saw action in a seven-furlong maiden special on the main turf July 28. The son of Munnings is out of Grade 3 Selene winner Aurora Lights, dam of Prince of Wales Stakes runner-up Aurora Way.

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