It's Shadow Realm versus speed in turf allowance
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario – It’s last call for main turf racing at Woodbine for approximately a year while a portion of the course is resodded beginning later this month. There are two six-furlong main turf sprints scheduled for Friday, the most of appealing of which is the seventh race for nonwinners-of-three Ontario-sired allowance company and $40,000 claimers.
Shadow Realm could mow down all the speed in his first grass outing since a wide third behind Dewolf and Unbridled Weather in the restricted Bull Page Stakes last September. The 3-year-old has improved with each subsequent start at this meet. He beat nonwinners of two in his penultimate race and then increased his Beyer Speed Figure output from 80 to 82 when second after racing off a golden rail at this level July 27.
The popular leading rider, apprentice Pietro Moran, will ride Shadow Realm again for trainer Sid Attard. They are a combined 3 for 18 at the meet.
Country Living and Fifty B M G are both in solid form, and they look like the best entrants with speed in the 10-horse field.
Country Living dropped sharply to $15,000 on June 8 and finished a sagging fifth while claimed by Marty Drexler, who sent him out to wire $25,000 conditioned claimers on the main turf July 18. Drexler, who has good numbers second time off a claim, will give last year’s top jockey, Sahin Civaci, a leg up on the 4-year-old.
Fifty B M G rode the live rail on the front end before tiring and getting nailed on the wire for second by Shadow Realm when exiting a 10-month layoff on July 27. He placed in back-to-back five-furlong inner turf excursions last summer before clearing the nonwinners-of-two condition on Tapeta in September. Ryan Munger will ride him again for trainer Barbara Minshall.
On Saturday, Munger and Minshall will try to land the $1 million King’s Plate with Plate Trial Stakes winner Sedburys Ghost.
Next Pitch has the look of a live longshot. When making his first turf start July 6, he awaited room along the rail in the stretch before ending up fourth. Runner-up Summer Commander came right back to score at the same nonwinners-of-three level on the Tapeta. Next Pitch defeated nonwinners-of-two opposition at 14-1 in May for trainer John LeBlanc Jr. who gallops the homebred regularly.
Deputy Daddy had a fruitful spring, during which he graduated in May before doubling up in a main turf sprint last out June 15. The 3-year-old has been working right along for trainer Rick Hayashi, the longtime assistant to the gelding’s previous trainer, Paul Buttigieg, who died in June.
Cooler Man has a win from three grass starts, which came against nonwinners-of-two stock going 7 1/2 furlongs around two turns on the inner turf last September. He failed to crack the top four in four starts at this stand, but he wasn’t beaten by much when fifth July 6 on the main turf.
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