Eighty Nine Red draws better spot for Deputy Minister

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The improving Eighty Nine Red shoots for his second consecutive stakes score on Wednesday night at Woodbine in the $125,000 Deputy Minister, a seven-furlong sprint for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds.

Eighty Nine Red won his season opener in allowance company before finishing a belated third in the Queenston Stakes. Following a disappointing turf experiment in the Bold Ruckus Stakes, he captured the July 5 Achievement Stakes at 16-1 under regular rider Jesse Campbell.

“I thought Jesse took a bit too much of a hold of him in the Queenston,” said trainer Mike DePaulo, who won with three of his four starters this past weekend. “I was devastated when he ran so badly on the grass. He had worked so well on it.”

DePaulo dreaded seeing Eighty Nine Red draw post 1 for the second straight time in the Achievement, a starting position that led to a challenging inside trip before he collared the favored Flashy Margaritta in deep stretch.

“[Flashy Margaritta] tried to shut him off a bit on the fence on the backstretch,” DePaulo recalled. “Jesse took back a little, and went around.”

The Deputy Minister, which drew a field of seven, is the sixth race on an eight-race card that begins at 6:45 p.m. Eastern. As usual, Flashy Margaritta figures to lead the way, under a staggering 128 pounds.

KEY CONTENDERS

Flashy Margaritta (Last 3 Beyers: 80-85-60)

◗ A four-pound penalty for winning three stakes means Flashy Margaritta will carry 128, including Patrick Husbands. He must concede as much as 11 pounds to his rivals.

◗ Off a weakening second over a speed-favoring track in the Achievement, one might conclude that the Ralph Biamonte-trained gelding is questionable over seven furlongs, but he capped his lucrative juvenile campaign with a victory in the Frost King Stakes at that distance.

Eighty Nine Red (Last 3 Beyers: 83-72-70)

◗ For a change, he drew ideally, just outside Flashy Margaritta in post 4.

◗ DePaulo said he isn’t overly concerned with running him back 18 days after a career-best effort: “You never like to come back too quick, but he worked a good little half-mile the other day. We’ve got to take advantage of these Ontario-sired races. It’s hard to pass up.”

Spadina Road (Last 3 Beyers: 77-80-78)

◗ Last year’s Kingarvie Stakes winner is exiting back-to-back thirds, in the Bold Ruckus and Achievement. His runner-up placing in the Frost King suggests that the stretchout to the back of the chute may be to his benefit.

◗ Spadina Road’s trainer, Bob Tiller, also sends out Tulio’s Brew, who’s shortening up off a distant third in the Victoria Park Stakes. Tiller, who won the 2007 Deputy Minister with Dancer’s Bajan, is 1 for 12 (8 percent) with runners moving from a route to a sprint in a non-graded stakes over the past five years ($1.80 ROI), according to DRF's Formulator.

:: Learn more about Formulator | Follow the @DRFFormulator Twitter feed and get free Formulator facts