Cosa Rara to start on grass

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Cosa Rara will attempt to become the winningest horse at the 2001 Woodbine meet in Thursday's eighth race, an $80,000 claimer for 3-year-old fillies going a mile on the turf.

Seven runners have won four races at this stand, including Cosa Rara, who has accomplished the feat in just four starts. Her five-race win streak began in her final 2000 outing and continued in the spring, when she captured consecutive $40,000 claimers, at seven furlongs and 1 1/16 miles.

Cosa Rara beat a sharp Stormy Society when she was raised to the $50,000 claiming plateau July 6. She won another 1 1/16-mile race while facing $62,500 opponents most recently July 20.

Cosa Rara, who has yet to try the grass, worked five-eighths in 1:00.60 over the turf training course Aug. 8. A daughter of dirt stakes winner Tethra, she is a half-sister to grass specialist Wolvspa.

Dino Luciani retains the mount on Cosa Rara, who is trained by Tino Attard for Six Brothers Stable and Carmen Attard.

Rounding out the eighth-race field are Fantastic Allie, Fafnir, Torrantula, Haggled Kiss, Miss Icicle, and Southern Sweet.

Sam-Son Farm and trainer Mark Frostad will try to build up some momentum with Wilderness Storm in Thursday's ninth race, a $62,500 optional claimer for fillies and mares.

Sam-Son went without a Woodbine victory from July 22 until last Friday, when Follow the Piper captured a 1 1/4-mile maiden special on the grass.

Wilderness Storm, who wintered at the Fair Grounds, won two of her four local outings in the spring before running on the grass with mixed results in July. She showed speed before fading to fourth in a 6 1/2-furlong main-track dash Aug. 6, and should last longer this time at her preferred distance of six furlongs.

Gary Boulanger will pilot Wilderness Storm, a daughter of Storm Cat and Grade 1 Spinster Stakes winner Wilderness Song.

Completing the wide-open ninth are Bold to Love, Cleocatra, Bar U Mokwa, Lady Warship, Ellzey, Jovial Blast, Muhayaa's Crown, Ending Well, Dance Me Inside, Blondeinthemeadow, and Beautiful Belle.

Bar U Mokwa dead-heated for the win in a July 11 preliminary allowance, and was recently third at this level in a grass race. The runner-up in that race, Knight Dancer, went on to finish second in the Victoriana Stakes.

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