Dancing Ashley stretches out in Friday claiming feature
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Dancing Ashley drops into an inviting spot and experiments with the one-mile distance in Friday’s nominal feature at Woodbine, a $40,000 claimer scheduled for lane 3 on the grass.
Dancing Ashley earned a solid living as a closing sprinter last year, winning 4 of 9 starts and $213,547. This year, she came out of the blocks slowly, missing the board in a series of optional claimers after running eighth in the Ballade Stakes.
Dancing Ashley broke through nicely when she descended to $50,000 claiming Aug. 14, winning that six-furlong turf sprint comfortably with an 82 Beyer Speed Figure. She went on to finish fourth on the Polytrack and a wide sixth on the grass in a pair of second-level optional claimers in September.
Patrick Husbands retains the mount on Dancing Ashley, who’s trained by Ralph Biamonte for CEC Farms.
KEY CONTENDERS
Dancing Ashley (Last 3 Beyers: 74-72-82)
◗ She hasn’t competed beyond seven furlongs since August 2014, when she ran fourth in a pretty good first-level allowance at 1 1/16 miles.
Rejoiceful (Last 3 Beyers: 74-76-75)
◗ The versatile 5-year-old has made the board in all five of her outings at the meet, including an allowance victory over seven furlongs on Polytrack on July 22. She then rallied for third in Dancing Ashley’s win and is dropping off a third in an optional-claiming event.
Go Go Lolo (Last 3 Beyers: 77-72-64)
◗ The 7-year-old has won three non-black-type stakes this year on dirt at Assiniboia Downs, including the 1 1/8-mile Matron on Sept. 6.
◗ Earlier in her career, she went unplaced in three starts on turf and synthetics while putting up several Beyers in the 70s.
Miss Tatey Cat (Last 3 Beyers: 67-57-68)
◗ The speed of the party got away with murder on the front end when she won a recent $32,000 claimer over Teresa’s Pride, who returned to capture an allowance. The seven-time winner is strictly a need-the-lead type, and if Hidden Turn leaves her alone on the backstretch, she may never look back.
Hidden Turn (Last 3 Beyers: 65-52-79)
◗ After wintering at Gulfstream, she annexed two of her first three starts at the meet before tailing off. Top jockey Eurico Da Silva will ride her again for second-leading trainer Kevin Attard.
Aunt Els (Last 3 Beyers: 72-75-56)
◗ The main-track-only entrant set soft fractions before coasting home on top in a 1 1/16-mile, $40,000 claiming contest on the Polytrack on Sept. 11. There was rain in the early forecast for Friday.