The Great Oz on road to success
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The Great Oz was nicely spotted when landing his July 11 season opener under Eswan Flores. The almost white 7-year-old moves up in class on Sunday at Woodbine and should be a good fit in the 6 1/2-furlong conditioned allowance, which has a $50,000 claiming option.
This is The Great Oz’s second stint with TEC Racing and trainer Marty Drexler, who lost him for $50,000 in October of 2023. They claimed him back for $35,000 at Gulfstream Park in April 2024, when the gelding ran sixth in a Tapeta route that was too far for him. After a freshening, he went on to place in three straight first-level allowance/optional claimers that summer before going on hiatus.
Off a series of eye-catching works, The Great Oz was protected by waiver instead of running for a $32,000 claiming tag when exiting a 10 1/2-month layoff on July 11. Sent off as the favorite, he vied for the lead before drawing clear late to score while getting his third consecutive 82 Beyer Speed Figure.
The Great Oz doesn’t need the lead and is ideally drawn in post 6 in a six-horse field on Sunday, outside the front-runners Western Whirl and Babbo.
Western Whirl put up a 90 Beyer when winning his first start as a gelding and season debut in a June 8 first-level allowance. He tried this level in his last two outings on the main turf, finishing a sagging fourth and then a lapped-on second most recently under Fraser Aebly, who will ride him again for trainer Stuart Simon.
Babbo could be a thorn in the side of Western Whirl. Victorious in the 2023 Coronation Futurity at 2, the 4-year-old has generally struggled over the past year and a half, but he did find the mark for a $50,000 tag in an allowance/optional claimer last November.
Babbo vied for the lead with the rapid Silent Reserve before folding in the lane to trail the field in the Vice Regent Stakes for Ontario-breds on the inner turf Aug. 17.
Time for Truth had an unproductive winter stint on the dirt at Oaklawn Park before joining trainer Mark Casse’s Woodbine string in the spring. Off a six-month layoff Aug. 16, the 4-year-old faded to seventh in a main turf sprint and is trying another new surface here with blinkers added.
Gilt Edge was claimed for $40,000 twice earlier in the meet, beating non-winners of three Ontario-sired and $40,000 claimers two starts back with an 81 Beyer on the main turf. He never fired over giving ground most recently when sixth behind Gas Me Up, who subsequently won the Grade 2 King Edward. Gilt Edge’s Tapeta form is spotty.
Poseidon Steel came from fourth to prevail with a $30,000 claiming tag while earning a 78 Beyer Aug. 10. This event is much tougher and he will have to run the race of his life to be competitive.
Post time for Sunday’s appealing 10-race card is 1:05 p.m.
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