Il Malocchio staring at second stakes win in Princess Elizabeth

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Marty Drexler has made a name for himself as a successful claiming trainer at Woodbine, but his 2-year-olds have also done some damage this year, most notably Il Malocchio’s win in the Victorian Queen Stakes.

Il Malocchio will be looking to double up Saturday in the $250,000 Princess Elizabeth Stakes for Canadian-bred fillies. She’s improved significantly with each start, graduating third time out against Ontario-sired opposition in the 7 1/2-furlong Victorian Queen around two turns on the inner turf Sept. 27.

Drexler, who sent out longshot Meyer to finish second in last Saturday’s Breeders’ Stakes, believes that Il Malocchio is well suited to the Princess Elizabeth, a 1 1/16-mile Tapeta route.

“The distance is good and the surface is good,” Drexler said. “I actually think she’s better on the synthetic than on the grass. It seems like the farther she goes, the better.”

Il Malocchio worked a half-mile in 47.60 seconds on Oct. 18 and went an easy half in 49 last Sunday.

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“She did get a shade sick on me a couple weeks ago,” Drexler said. “I had to back off. That’s why her last breeze was a little easier. I didn’t want to knock her out a week out. But I’m pretty sure fitness is not an issue for her right now. She’s been galloping every day. She’s been training all year.”

The 75th running of the Princess Elizabeth lured seven others, including El Bayern, who won her Aug 30 debut with just a 52 Beyer in the $250,800 Muskoka, a stakes for graduates of local yearling sales. Unraced since the 6 1/2-furlong Muskoka, the daughter of Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Bayern will run on, said trainer Mike Mattine.

“She’ll get the distance,” Mattine said. “It’s just the company.”

Dreaming of Drew has stuck to the grass since romping second time out in a Tapeta sprint July 18. After getting nailed on the wire by Alda in the Catch a Glimpse Stakes, she finished fourth after running greenly in the Grade 1 Natalma. Trainer Barb Minshall is taking the blinkers off.

The Mark Casse-trained maiden Curlin’s Catch was favored against males when debuting in a mile and 70-yard maiden special Oct. 11. She was bumped at the break before closing four wide for second. The daughter of Curlin was a $430,000 2-year-old purchase.

Bodacious Miss won her only start, which came going five-eighths on the inner turf Sept. 19. Leading jockey Justin Stein will ride her again for trainer Steve Owens.

◗ Saturday’s $100,000 Overskate Stakes was changed this year from a Tapeta sprint to a 7 1/2-furlong inner turf race for Ontario-sired runners. With no Pink Lloyd in the lineup due to the surface switch, the race is a wide-open 10-horse affair headed by Not So Quiet.