Executive Flight steps up for stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - An outside stalking trip under Eclipse Award-winning apprentice Emma-Jayne Wilson could enable Executive Flight to win her stakes debut Saturday at Woodbine in the $125,000 Lady Angela.

Executive Flight won her maiden second time out by 3 1/2 lengths over Ontario-sired opposition in October. After running third in an open allowance in November, she was put away for the winter by trainer Darwin Banach. Executive Flight has won both of her starts this year, earning a 67 Beyer each time. Both races were in Ontario-sired allowance company under Wilson, who said she anticipates further improvement from Executive Flight.

"I've gotten to know her a lot better since those two races," Wilson said. "The little things that you want a younger horse to learn, she seems to be picking up on them. She's coming along really well."

Executive Flight has never raced as far as the seven furlongs of the Lady Angela, but Wilson said she doesn't think it will be a problem.

"I had tons of horse at the top of the stretch both times I rode her," Wilson said. "I think she can definitely go a little farther."

The Lady Angela has lured seven other Ontario-sired 3-year-old fillies, including Dream Lover, La Gran Marylin, and Perigee Girl.

Dream Lover won her only 2-year-old outing in June before going to the sidelines for the remainder of the year because of a hairline fracture of the fetlock, according to trainer Laurie Silvera.

Dream Lover captured her season opener in a five-furlong Ontario-sired allowance and then stretched out to seven furlongs in the May 7 Fury Stakes, finishing fifth after pressing a moderate pace along the inside.

In spite of the lackluster performance, Silvera said she believes the Fury helped Dream Lover's conditioning.

"I think she'll have benefited from that seven-furlong race," Silvera said. "Fitness is her problem at this moment. She still has a little too much blubber on her."

La Gran Marylin had a busy 2-year-old campaign, winning 2 of 9 starts, including the 1 1/16-mile South Ocean Stakes for Ontario-sired fillies. She hasn't run since suffering a 10-length loss in the Dec. 4 Ontario Lassie Stakes.

Perigee Girl earned an 83 Beyer when she won her maiden in her second start as a 2-year-old. She hasn't come close to duplicating that effort in five subsequent starts, although she did win the Victorian Queen Stakes in October.

Perigee Girl was recently second to Executive Flight going six furlongs, blowing a clear lead in the final furlong.