Grazettes Landing has speed to spare

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Grazettes Landing gets some major class relief in Wednesday's $125,000 New Providence Stakes, and may vie for favoritism with Not Bourbon in the six-furlong sprint for Ontario-sired stock at Woodbine.

Grazettes Landing, trained by Mark Casse, captured the opening-day Debut Stakes following a layoff. He completed five furlongs in a snappy 56.99 seconds in that Ontario-sired spot, which translated into a Beyer Speed Figure of 92.

Most recently, in the Grade 3 Vigil Stakes, Grazettes Landing ran evenly to end up six lengths back in one of the fastest races in Woodbine history. The victorious Hollywood Hit shattered the seven-furlong Polytrack record in the Vigil after holding off Fatal Bullet.

"He ran fifth and got the biggest Beyer of his life, a 99," said Casse. "It's tough when you run your heart out and finish fifth, but we really had nowhere else to go with him. We thought we'd give it a chance, and if nothing else, it would set him up well for this race."

Casse was tickled with Grazettes Landing's five-furlong breeze in 1:00 last Wednesday. It was the fastest of 19 moves at the distance.

"He worked as good as a horse could work," Casse said. "It was just a gallop for him."

Not Bourbon, the 2008 Queen's Plate winner and champion 3-year-old in Canada, won an allowance for Ontario-sired horses when he returned from a 20-month layoff May 12. Ten days ago, he ran fifth on the grass in the Grade 3 Connaught Cup Stakes.

Paso Doble checked in third in the Debut after dueling up front. That was his first start for trainer Sid Attard. He subsequently captured a 5 1/2-furlong optional claimer by disqualification.

Paso Doble finished a close second last time after pressing a moderate pace in the six-furlong allowance that was won by Not Bourbon.

Yummy With Butter rallied belatedly for fourth when he came off the sidelines in the Debut. He notched his only stakes win last September in the seven-furlong Overskate, and was third in the past two runnings of the New Providence.

Drunken Love was a tired sixth in his first outing of the year in the Debut. He subsequently ran third behind Not Bourbon and Paso Doble in the aforementioned allowance, a race that every older Ontario-sired horse on the grounds was eligible for except Grazettes Landing.