Gierkink's review: Top Fury finishers could mean solid Oaks

Wild Catomine ($13) gamely held off the favorites Hot and Spicy and Lexie Lou to land her stakes debut in the $150,400 Fury Stakes, a seven-furlong sprint for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies. All three figure to be headed for what should be a quality edition of the June 15 Woodbine Oaks.

Trained by Mark Casse, Wild Catomine is unbeaten in two starts, both going seven furlongs. A local $110,000 yearling purchase, the attractive daughter of Milwaukee Brew certainly possesses the tools to handle the nine-furlong distance of the $500,000 Oaks.

Alpha Bettor, last year’s Canadian champion older male, was victorious in his season debut in the 1 1/16-mile allowance prep for the Eclipse Stakes. After vying through soft fractions, Alpha Bettor ($5.70) held off favored Stealcase to prevail by in 1:43.99 in a field reduced to four after two scratches.

Tower of Texas seems headed for the July 6 Queen’s Plate after graduating despite running greenly in the seventh. Behold the Bear was demoted from second to third in the 1 1/16-mile maiden special, which was the second time on the card that jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson was disqualified on a Reade Baker trainee. Favored Majestic Sunset finished 2 1/2 lengths back in fifth after taking the overland route, running 95 feet farther than Behold the Bear.

On a day that featured a strong west wind going down the backstretch, frontrunners won seven of the 10 races. Two of those winners benefited from a slow pace going 1 1/16 miles.

Horses to watch

HOT AND SPICY
Trainer: James Bond
Last race: May 10, 8th
Finish: 2nd by 1/2
Beyer: 80

This American shipper had never tried a synthetic surface prior to the Fury Stakes, but she ran a brave race after breaking from the 1 hole to edge out favored Lexie Lou for second. She could be a factor in the June 15 Woodbine Oaks.

CHIEF CHATO
Trainer: Greg Cox
Last race: May 10, 4th
Finish: 5th by 6
Beyer: 62

He lost position on the turn after being impeded by a stray rival but was able to make up some ground in the stretch of a six-furlong dash, which combined Ontario-sired non-winners of three allowance types with $20,000 non-winners of three claimers.