Disfunction tries to avoid a big bounce
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Disfunction was a determined winner of the allowance prep for Saturday's $150,000 Jacques Cartier Stakes, and will likely be favored in the six-furlong sprint at Woodbine.
Disfunction went to the sidelines after ending up fourth in the Grade 3 Phoenix Stakes in October at Keeneland. He spent the winter in Florida, and worked at the Palm Meadows Training Center before shipping back to Woodbine.
Disfunction assumed his usual position on the front end in the 5 1/2-furlong prep, and prevailed by a head over Rouse the Cat. Trainer Julia Carey said she was somewhat surprised by Disfunction's strong showing that day.
"He had missed a work," Carey recalled. "He had a little something. It was nothing serious. He runs so good fresh. I just hope he hasn't run his race already. He's not showing me signs of that, but I don't think they ever do until the race comes."
Disfunction worked five-eighths in 1:01.40 over the training track last Sunday.
"He went good," said Carey. "It was just a maintenance breeze. He's a funny horse. Either he works real fast or real slow. This time, it was perfect."
Legal Move, Woodbine's six-furlong Polytrack record holder, ran a rare clunker in his Jan. 10 season opener in the Pelican Stakes at Tampa. He rebounded here to rally wide from the back of the pack to finish a close third behind Disfunction.
Trainer Mark Fournier said he was pleased with Legal Move's effort in the prep.
"I had him fit enough to run, but I didn't really crank him up," said Fournier. "We wanted to get that race into him, with this race in mind. He ran a big race. One more jump, and I think he would have got the money. He came out of it good. He scoped with a little bit of mucus, and I expect him to improve. He's been training great."
Fournier, who didn't have Legal Move during the winter, said he thought the horse may not have handled the Tampa track.
"I don't think he liked the sandy surface," Fournier said. "When he came here, he was in good order."
Grade 3 Kennedy Road Stakes winner Shadowless finished a length back in fifth in the prep, in his first appearance of the year.
Judiths Wild Rush, Canada's champion sprinter in 2005 and 2006, is turning back off a series of routes. He was recently reunited with trainer Reade Baker.