Dance for Dash may be live longshot

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Dance for Dash gets some class relief for her second start of the year in Thursday's Woodbine feature, a seven-furlong turf allowance for fillies and mares.

Dance for Dash struggled home seventh when she debuted last June on the grass, and also fared poorly when she reappeared on the dirt nearly three months later. She woke up dramatically, however, when trainer Barb Minshall put her back on the grass on Oct. 16 in a maiden special route, which she won comfortably at 51-1, with a solid 78 Beyer Speed Figure.

Dance for Dash was beaten 22 lengths in an Ontario-sired allowance when she went back to the main track for her final 2004 appearance. After getting the winter off, she faced open allowance company going 1 1/16 miles on the grass on May 18, but was never in the hunt after getting away slowly.

Dance for Dash is back in with Ontario-sired nonwinners-of-two company on Thursday, after having worked five-eighths on the main track in 1:02 last Friday. Richard Dos Ramos rides for a barn which has scored with several longshots on the grass at this meet.

Among the others entered in Thursday's feature are Sheer Enchantment, Wooden Ships, La Gran Domenique, and Taranaki.

Sheer Enchantment, the probable favorite, is the most accomplished runner in the 13-horse field, but she hasn't run since last fall and would prefer more distance than seven-eighths.

Sheer Enchantment won her maiden going 1 1/4 miles last July, and then finished an excellent third at that same distance in the Wonder Where Stakes. She subsequently crossed the wire on top in a restricted allowance, only to have her number taken down for causing interference.

Sheer Enchantment was a closing second to the talented Financingavailable the last time she tried the grass at this level in early October. Jono Jones will get the mount for trainer Abraham Katryan, who has worked Sheer Enchantment twice this month over the turf training course.

Wooden Ships wound up four lengths back in fifth in a recent $40,000 conditioned claimer, a race from which the second and sixth-place finishers both exited to do well. She is shortening up from a mile to a more suitable distance, with apprentice Corey Fraser retaining the mount.

La Gran Domenique raced wide throughout when fifth in an open six-furlong allowance in her first grass attempt on May 27.

Taranaki, who won her maiden with ease 12 days ago, is making her initial start on the grass with a dirt pedigree.