Gierkink's preview: Duchess Stakes diminished

On Rainbow Bridge finished sixth in Saturday’s Ontario Damsel Stakes, and will be scratched from the seven-furlong Duchess on Sunday, leaving a field of eight 3-year-old fillies, half of whom are trained by Mark Casse.

The speedy Zensational Bunny (3-1) could be vulnerable because of the presence of the swift shipper Pirate’s Trove, who’s a low 9-5 in the morning line off a big maiden win at Arlington.

Casse also runs longshots Appreciating, Lacarolina, and Madly Truly. The French import Lacarolina has worked solidly for her first start on synthetic, and could be the sleeper in her third start on this side of the pond.

Breeders’ Stakes prep

Heart to Heart and Freitag are the 3-year-olds in the nine-furlong Toronto Cup on Sunday who could run back in the $500,000 Breeders’, the third leg of the Canadian Triple Crown over 12 furlongs on the grass here Aug. 17.

Heart to Heart (8-5), coming off an eighth-place finish in the Queen’s Plate, was an easy wire-to-wire winner of his lone turf start in a one-mile allowance at Keeneland.

Freitag, who has won two allowances in a row on the Polytrack, was purchased by privately by owner Earle Mack before his last win, and is now trained by Mark Frostad. His second-year sire, Giant Gizmo, has yet to have a turf winner, but his dam has dropped a turf winner. At 2-1, he’s an underlay on the line.

Florida Won (3-1) and Sly Tom (8-1) finished third and sixth in the one-mile Charlie Barley Stakes here July 5. Florida Won was previously second in an allowance behind Majestic Kitten, who subsequently finished far back in the restricted Oceanside Stakes at Del Mar.

Negative sign?

The third and ninth races on Sunday were originally carded for last Wednesday, but were scrapped due to a bomb hoax in the casino.

The horses in the ninth were actually in the paddock for the seventh race on Wednesday when the cancellation was announced. One Destiny, the worthy 7-5 morning-line favorite, was 12th in the July 6 Queen’s Plate, and a wasted trip to the paddock late on Wednesday night could be construed as a negative for him on Sunday.

Horses to watch

MONEY TALKS
Trainer: Bill Tharrenos
Last race: July 18, 8th
Finish: 1st by 4 3/4
Beyer: 74
After awaiting room on the far turn, he split horses in the stretch before drawing away for a decisive score over older opposition in an Ontario-sired allowance. His trainer said he’ll likely run back on July 29 at Fort Erie in the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, which will not have a deep field of Canadian-breds.