Executive Allure tries to pick up where she left off in Whimsical Stakes
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Executive Allure went on a tear at the end of last year and will be seeking her third straight win Saturday at Woodbine in the Grade 3 Whimsical Stakes, a six-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares with a base purse of $150,000.
Executive Allure, a speedy 4-year-old owned by Bill Sorokolit, launched her 2014 campaign with a pair of turf tallies, including the Passing Mood Stakes. After dropping her next three starts, she put up a career-high 88 Beyer Speed Figure in winning the Jammed Lovely Stakes and then wired a group of Ontario-sired allowance types Nov. 26.
Executive Allure got the winter off while freshening up at the Nelson Jones Training Center in Ocala, Fla., with trainer Darwin Banach.
“She did well down there,” Banach said. “She’s really matured nicely from her 3- to 4-year-old year. She’s probably put on 400 pounds. Her shoulder and her ass have gotten twice the size.”
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Banach said Executive Allure breezed to his satisfaction last Sunday, going five-eighths in 59.40 seconds under jockey Eurico Da Silva.
“She worked well the other day,” Banach said. “The track was pretty fast, but she did it so easy. She came home and couldn’t blow out a match. We were very happy with it.”
KEY CONTENDERS
Executive Allure (Last 3 Beyers: 83-88-76)
◗ Da Silva, who was aboard for two of her stakes victories, inherits the mount from Jesse Campbell, who rode her in the fall but is committed to Goldstryke Glory. Da Silva and Banach have proven to be a successful combo in recent years.
Skylander Girl (Last 3 Beyers: 73-86-88)
◗ This versatile Ontario-bred didn’t disgrace herself on the Gulfstream turf during the winter. The highlight of her three-race campaign there was a runner-up placing to Parranda in the Grade 3 Marshua’s River.
◗ She’s arguably at her best on the grass, but her fine Polytrack form includes several stakes performances, most notably a win in the My Dear Stakes at 2.
Unspurned (Last 3 Beyers: 80-78-80)
◗ One of the leading 3-year-old fillies on the grounds last year, the Bison City Stakes winner wintered at Payson Park before working at Keeneland for trainer Roger Attfield. She split Executive Allure and Skylander Girl when second in the seven-furlong Jammed Lovely.
Goldstryke Glory (Last 3 Beyers: 77-87-83)
◗ She failed to flash her customary early foot last time out when fifth in the Oct. 19 Ontario Fashion. Like Executive Allure, she wintered in Ocala, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they hooked up on the lead.