Intriguing sprint on recently reopened main turf
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario – It’s been at least a year since any of the fillies and mares in Friday’s featured conditioned allowance set foot on Woodbine’s main turf, which reopened last Sunday following extensive renovations. Romantica has a win to her credit over the roomy course and could prevail in race 7 in her second start off the sidelines.
Trained by Mark Casse for owner Tracy Farmer, Romantica won a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight on the main turf second time out in June of 2024. She didn’t see action again until February of 2025, when she wound up fifth in a one-mile allowance at Gulfstream.
Two months later, Romantica failed to stay 1 1/2 miles in an allowance at Keeneland, but she got back on track here the following June 1 when a charging second at 1 1/16 miles. She went to the sidelines for just over a year after clearing the first allowance condition three weeks later in another inner-turf route.
Romantica seemingly needed her comeback in a 7 1/2-furlong inner-turf tilt around two turns at this level July 6, when she finished a sagging sixth. The 5-year-old has worked well since on the Tapeta and might not mind turning back to seven furlongs on Friday, with the rail at zero feet.
Romero Maragh will break Romantica from post 1 in a seven-horse field that also includes Grade A, Speedy Freeze, War Signal, Veery, and Purr Factor.
Grade A, based at Keeneland with trainer Jeremiah O’Dwyer, rallied for second while splitting two next-out winners in a May 23 allowance sprint here on the Tapeta. She went on to clear the first allowance condition going 5 1/2 furlongs on the grass at Colonial July 9, during which she closed from off a fast pace to prevail with a 77 Beyer Speed Figure.
The erratic Speedy Freeze made her lone sprint start on the main turf here a winning one in June of 2025. The stretch-runner defeated graduates of Canadian yearling sales in the seven-furlong Algoma Stakes last August, after which she tailed off.
Speedy Freeze came from fifth to land her second race off the bench in an open allowance June 25 for trainer Ron Sadler. After a sluggish break on a humid July 5, she was never in contention when sixth in the Ballade Stakes for Ontario-sired females.
War Signal will be the longer-priced Casse entrant. The Gary Barber homebred made all nine of her starts on Tapeta and has been in a tailspin for over a year. The daughter of 11 percent turf sprint sire War of Will is out of Uchenna, a stakes performer on turf and Tapeta for these connections. One of the mare’s three starters on turf found the mark.
Veery and Purr Factor could hook up on the lead and set the table for others. Veery, who wired first-level allowance rivals last time going long on the Tapeta, is no slouch on the grass.
Purr Factor led until late stretch last time when second in a one-mile starter handicap on the inner turf.
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