Crystal Pearl has the edge in Tapeta allowance
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Crystal Pearl’s solid form is a little dressed up, but the son of Curlin is still the one to beat in Thursday’s Woodbine headliner, a nonwinners of two allowance with a $50,000 claiming option for 3-year-olds.
Trained by Mark Casse for Gold Standard Racing Stable, Crystal Pearl rallied for second when debuting over the 1 1/16-mile distance of this event in June. Off a two-month break Aug. 15, the 4-year-old was favored in a nine-furlong maiden special, during which he benefited from an inside bias when second behind the sharp first-timer Keepmypowderdry.
Crystal Pearl switched to the grass going 1 1/4 miles on the main course most recently on Sept. 7. Sent off at 2-1, he had a fast pace to close into and came from fifth to win by daylight with a low 67 Beyer Speed Figure.
Crystal Pearl has worked twice on the Tapeta leading up to this race, including a half-mile in a snappy 48 seconds on Oct. 2. Sahin Civaci retains the mount and the journeyman has excellent numbers for the barn this year.
Casse also entered Zephyros, who won a maiden race over a mile and 70 yards on the Tapeta at Gulfstream in his only synthetic excursion in April. The son of Charlatan has stuck to the turf ever since and was third in the May 2 English Channel Stakes there before missing the board in his next three outings at Monmouth and Colonial.
Fraser Aebly has the call on Zephyros, who has breezed a fast half-mile three times here on the Tapeta since his last start Aug. 8.
Rounding out the field for the seventh race are Perfectworks, Pipers Reign, Ideologist, and Catch the Ace.
Perfectworks earned the highest Beyer in this field, a 79, when a distant second in his penultimate race at this level and distance on the Tapeta. The upwardly mobile winner, William T, subsequently upset the heavily favored champion Maycocks Bay in the Grade 3 Durham Cup.
In another race at this level most recently, Perfectworks came up empty during a wide trip on the main turf. David Moran will ride him again for trainer Kelly Callaghan, who scored at a 13 percent clip when going turf to synthetic over the past five years.
Pipers Reign ran third behind the speedy next-out winner Marshal in his belated season opener traveling seven furlongs Aug. 30. Switching to a mile on the turf in his latest, he never fired during a four-wide trip in the slow-paced main turf route.
Ideologist benefited from a bias that favored speed and inside runners while leading all the way in a slow-placed seven-furlong maiden special Aug. 30. The son of Daredevil is a half-brother to two dirt route winners and is sent out by the good stretch-out trainer Josie Carroll, who has secured the leading rider Pietro Moran.
Catch the Ace figures to lead the way under Jeffrey Alderson. He faded to fourth after setting a lively pace last time out in a 7 1/2-furlong inner turf allowance.
Post time for the eight-race card is 3:15 p.m.
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