Edenwold leads sales stakes parade

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Edenwold, winner of last year's Queen's Plate, is the marquee name on the yearling sales stakes program here at Woodbine on Monday.

A total of six $125,000 stakes will be offered on the annual lead-in to the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society's yearling sale. The selected session of the sale begins here at 3op.m. Monday with the preferred session following at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Edenwold's appearance will come in the Elgin, a 1 1/16-mile race for colts and geldings, 3 and up.

Owned by Jim and Alice Sapara and trained by Josie Carroll, Edenwold is winless in six outings since capturing the 1 1/4-mile Queen's Plate last June 25 and will be making his first start since Feb. 11. Following that last race, which was his second unplaced effort at the Gulfstream meeting, Edenwold was sent to the farm and did not rejoin Carroll here until the beginning of June.

"Since he came back, this race is really what we were aiming for, and he's in really good order," said Carroll.

"He's matured a lot. He's got to be a big, strapping horse."

Edenwold, who had his first return breeze on July 9 and has worked eight more times in the interim. He will have David Clark in the irons for the Elgin.

Leading the opposition is Head Chopper, runner-up in last year's Elgin, and Just in Case Jimmy, who won this race in 2004.

The Algoma, the 1 1/16-mile yearling sales stakes for fillies and mares, features a rising star in Arden Belle.

A 4-year-old owned by Salt and Pepper Stable and trained by Ron Sadler, Arden Belle registered her second stakes victory in the 1 1/16-mile Belle Mahone here Aug. 19 after winning the seven-furlong Sweet Briar Too two starts earlier.

"She's doing real well," said Sadler. "Not every horse would be able to come back two weeks after a race like the Belle Mahone. She comes to dance."

Apprentice jockey Matt Moore has his regular call aboard Arden Belle, who also was nominated to Monday's six-furlong Kenora and the Halton at one mile on turf.

"I think she's a little better going two turns, but she's just a very, very versatile filly," said Salder.

"We're very happy with her, and she's very happy with us."

London Snow, trained by John Charalambous, is the only other stakes winner in the Algoma lineup and has been cross-entered in the Halton.

"The turf race, at a flat mile, might suit her a little better," said Charalambous.