Gierkink: Cotey has promising juvenile

Friday, May 23, review

Cotey 2-year-old shines

Trainer Dave Cotey, who campaigned the 2008 Canadian champion 2-year-old, Mine That Bird, unveiled the promising juvenile Her Majesty’s Flag in the second race. Her Majesty’s Flag rallied from fourth under Skye Chernetz to collar the favored Wesley Ward-trained shipper Lamontagne to win the 4 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race in 52.79 seconds.

Her Majesty’s Flag, a daughter of freshman sire Midshipman, is a prospect for the first 2-year-old filly stakes of the meet, the $125,000 My Dear on June 28. Her second dam is Regal Pennant, who won the 1990 Ontario Debutante Stakes at Fort Erie.

Tiller doubles up

Second-leading trainer Bob Tiller scored twice on the card, including a victory in the featured Ontario-sired allowance with stakes winner Spadina Road, a Queen’s Plate nominee. With a hot Eurico Rosa Da Silva up, Spadina Road ($6.30) rallied stoutly from off a sizzling pace to take the 5 1/2-furlong dash in 1:06.69.

Tiller also captured an Ontario-sired allowance route for 3-year-old fillies with 1-2 choice Sweater Weather, who could make her next start in the June 15 Woodbine Oaks. Sweater Weather, a daughter of Milwaukee Brew, ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.82 while scoring easily after setting slow fractions under under Luis Contreras.

Sweater Weather was one of four front-runners to prevail on the nine-race program.