DePaulo sends strong duo in maiden dash
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Mike DePaulo sends out Dwight and Starship Salute in Thursday’s seventh race at Woodbine, a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight for 3-year-olds and up that is the only non-claiming event on the eight-race card.
Zilli Racing Stable’s Dwight has started three times, all on the local Tapeta. When debuting in June of last year, the 4-year-old ran fourth behind the future stakes winner Jupiter and next-out maiden special winner Awesome Connection.
Dwight didn’t race again until May 17, when he had a wide trip over a rail-favoring track when fourth in another 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight. Victorious El Magnate subsequently won an allowance by four lengths while earning an 82 Beyer Speed Figure. When extending to 1 1/16 miles most recently, Dwight assumed an early stalking position before coming up empty.
Dwight is being reunited with Emma-Jayne Wilson, who was aboard for his first two outings. She has a 10 percent strike rate for DePaulo, who won at a 5 percent clip going route to sprint on synthetics over the past five years, with a return on investment of $1.12.
First-time starter Starship Salute was a $110,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by John and Diana Russell. The gelded son of champion sprinter Mitole worked fast over the winter at Gulfstream before a three-month period when he was idle. He began breezing weekly again in a more leisurely manner here May 24, culminating with a half-mile move in 49.80 seconds on the Tapeta on July 5.
“He’s a good-looking horse,” DePaulo said. “Roger Attfield bred him. We had a little shin issue with him last year. We finally had him ready to run at Gulfstream, but he got hurt. Now we’re back and ready to go.”
Starship Salute is a half-brother to six winners, including stakes winner Gun Society and the stakes-placed router Twowaycrossing. Going back five years, DePaulo hit with 9 percent of his first-timers, with an ROI of $1.37. Sahin Civaci will ride the Ontario-bred.
Completing the seventh-race lineup are Slightly Naughty, Fightin to Survive, Auntie’s Bambino, and Pepper Brooks.
The debuting Pepper Brooks is a half-brother to champion Patches O’Houlihan, one of the top Canadian sprinters of all time. Patches O’Houlihan won his first race at 2 and eventually won 10 stakes, including the Grade 2 Highlander.
A son of 12 percent first-out sire Souper Speedy, Pepper Brooks is out of a 2-year-old debut winner who banked more than $250,000 for trainer Robert Tiller, who also trained Patches O’Houlihan. His last work on June 26, five furlongs in 1:00, was one of his fastest. Rafael Hernandez will ride the Frank Di Giulio Jr. homebred.
Auntie’s Bambino is coming off a belated fourth in the restricted Lake Huron Stakes in his 11th trip postward.
Slightly Naughty fought for the lead before tiring in the stretch in both of his starts, the best of which was a third in a non-claiming contest on the dirt at Fort Erie.
Unraced Fightin to Survive is by the 9 percent debut stallion Cupid, the sire of Canadian champion 2-year-old God of Love.
Post time is 3:10 p.m.
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