Elissa's Macho returns to Tapeta seeking maiden win
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Elissa’s Macho’s string of second-place finishes ended last time out when she had a troubled trip going long on the inner turf. She goes back to the Tapeta in Friday’s third race at Woodbine, a hybrid maiden route for Ontario-sired and $40,000 claimers, where she could go favored.
Elissa’s Macho closed for second behind the future stakes winner Zabarta in her only 2-year-old outing against $25,000 maidens last October.
After getting the winter off, Elissa’s Macho was protected by waiver at the $25,000 level May 16 and was along for second as the favorite. She switched to the inner turf and moved up to this class June 11 when filling out the exacta again behind next-out allowance winner North York.
Off a three-month layoff Oct. 3, Elissa’s Macho lacked a clear path along the rail before trying to make up her ground in the lane. After ending up fourth, she was disqualified to sixth for interference.
Pietro Moran, the runaway leading rider at the meet, rides Elissa’s Macho again for trainer Rick Hayashi.
The six-horse field also includes Winning Agenda and Once Upon a Kiss.
Winning Agenda struggled in the open maiden-special ranks before competing for $40,000 in each of her last three starts. She was a close second after fighting for the lead on main turf Aug. 14 and a chalky third when cutting back to 7 1/2 furlongs on the inner course Sept. 5. She was impeded by Elissa’s Macho most recently when promoted from fifth to fourth.
Fraser Aebly will get a leg up from trainer Sid Attard on Winning Agenda, who could vie for favoritism.
Once Upon a Kiss is competing beyond a sprint distance for the first time and the daughter of Queen’s Plate victor Shaman Ghost is bred for the task at hand. She just missed earning her diploma after leading the way at second asking Aug. 8 and then finished a flat fifth before getting softened up in a front-end battle most recently in a key race at this level.
Once Upon Kiss is going off Lasix with Leo Salles gaining the mount for trainer Blair Miller.
Friday’s other Ontario-sired/$40,000 maiden event is over seven furlongs includes the lightly raced colts Runaway Rocket and Connect the Empire.
Runaway Rocket is coming off the sidelines with blinkers on. The expensive son of Nyquist ran twice last winter for trainer Bill Mott. Those starts included fourth after setting the pace at first asking in a two-turn maiden special at Tampa. The 4-year-old breezed a quick half-mile over the Tapeta the other day in advance of his first start for trainer Kevin Attard.
The Mark Casse-trained Connect the Empire folded last time after dueling for the lead in a 1 1/4-mile maiden special on the main turf. Debuting Aug. 9 in a Tapeta sprint, he was a well-beaten favorite behind the upwardly mobile Pepper Brooks after missing the break.
◗ Friday’s nine-race card has a later than usual post time of 1:20 p.m.
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