Il Malocchio targets Wonder Where Stakes as next start
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - All eyes were on 2-5 favorite Miss Speedy in her stakes debut in Saturday’s $250,000 Bison City at Woodbine, but it was another daughter of hot Ontario sire Souper Speedy, Il Malocchio, who stole the show in the 1 1/16-mile route for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies.
Miss Speedy went way too fast on the lead and set the table for Il Malocchio, who wore down archrival Emmeline in the final furlong to prevail by a half-length as the 9-2 third choice. Emmeline had nosed out Il Malocchio for second when they met for the first time in the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks on Aug. 1.
Owned and bred by Frank Meli, Il Malocchio gave trainer Marty Drexler his biggest win in the Bison City. The Manitoba native won the 2007 Manitoba Derby with Weather Warning.
“She’s special,” Drexler said. “In my barn we run a lot of cheaper, middle claimers. We don’t have a lot of horses like this. It’s nice to get one that you can play on this stage.”
All being well, Drexler said Il Malocchio will run back in the final leg of the Canadian Triple Tiara, the $250,000 Wonder Where Stakes traveling 1 1/4 miles on main turf here Oct. 2. She graduated on the inner turf in the 7 1/2-furlong Victorian Queen Stakes for Ontario-sired fillies in September.
“She came out of it good,” Drexler said. “It was obviously a hot day. She’s tired, but she didn’t seem to drop that much weight. The grass is okay (for her). She really wants to go far.”
*** Thursday’s expanded nine-race card contains a number of races from last Thursday’s program, which was canceled due to excessive heat.
The fifth has some promising Ontario-sired maiden 2-year-olds competing over 6 1/2 furlongs on the main turf, in which Silent Runner should be favored under David Moran.
After a front-running second at first asking on the Tapeta July 11, Silent Runner went up to open maiden special company Aug. 1 and finished a respectable fourth behind First Empire, who came back to double up in the Soaring Free Stakes. Mike Doyle trains the second-time Lasix-user.
Tragically Funny is exiting an improved third-place finish in his second trip postward on the Tapeta. The son of Milwaukee Brew possesses some turf breeding, and trainer Sid Attard is adding blinkers to his equipment.
*** The Jackpot Hi-5 carryover heading into Thursday is $174,074. The Jackpot Power Pick-6 carryover is $13,917.