'J N J' needed his last start
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - An extra firm turf course should bolster the chances of the speedy J N J's Executive in Wednesday's Woodbine headliner, an Ontario-sired allowance for nonwinners of three.
J N J's Executive is owned by John and Jessica Pastorek and trained by Sid Attard, the same connections who sent out Absolute Silver for a maiden victory on the grass last Sunday.
J N J's Executive peaked around this time last year, when he won his maiden and a conditioned claimer, both at seven furlongs over this course. He tailed off in the fall, however, and was sidelined for the next six months. In his season opener going a mile, J N J's Executive faded to ninth after dueling up front through fast fractions.
Attard has been winning at a 26 percent rate with horses making their second start off a layoff of least 180 days, and he is 11 for 40 at the meeting when he uses apprentice Emma Wilson.
The 6 1/2-furlong feature also includes Gladiator at Dawn, Decew Falls, and Bold Thing.
Gladiator at Dawn made his first five starts last year on the grass, the best of which was a third-place finish. He found his calling on the main track in the fall, when he narrowly won his maiden and a first-level allowance. In his only outing this year, Gladiator at Dawn fought through honest fractions before weakening to third. He has since breezed a bullet five-eighths and a half-mile on the training track.
Trained by Janet Bedford, Gladiator at Dawn will be ridden by Jill Scharfstein and could hook up on the lead with J N J's Executive.
Decew Falls is seemingly at his best going a mile over the course, which is the distance at which he captured the restricted Vice Regent Stakes last August. He went on to run second in the Bunty Lawless Stakes and has been absent since finishing far back in the Nov. 27 Sir Barton Stakes on the main track.
Bold Thing won two grass races last year and placed in several open allowances. He is coming off a sixth-place finish in the New Providence Stakes.
V S O P Please, the lone main-track-only entrant, is unbeaten in two starts. He earned a 102 Beyer Figure when he won his debut by 9 3/4 lengths in May.
* The pick-seven carryover is $27,685.