Josie Carroll has two contenders, both adding blinkers

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The Josie Carroll-trained stablemates Playmea Tune and Times a Breeze will both compete with blinkers as contenders in Friday’s seventh race at Woodbine, a six-furlong maiden special with a purse of $111,300.

Unraced Playmea Tune is a Chiefswood Stables homebred. The 4-year-old got the bullet in each of his last two works, including a half-mile in 47 from the gate last Friday.

Playmea Tune is by the popular speed sire Maclean’s Music, who has gotten 15 percent first-out winners. His dam, Fifth Overture, was a late-blooming, Grade 3-winning sprinter who produced six winners, including the Grade 3-placed router Awesome Overture.

Times a Breeze was a deceptively good fifth the only time he went postward, in a Sept. 24 maiden special. After racing at the rear of a 10-horse field down the backstretch in the six-furlong test, the gelding closed stoutly in the final furlong and then galloped out well.

Along with blinkers, Times a Breeze is adding Lasix. The Hopefield Farm homebred is by elite sire Not This Time and out of the stakes-winning turf expert Sheer Enchantment.

Kazushi Kimura rides Playmea Tune and Sofia Vives has the mount on Times a Breeze. Both riders were Sovereign Award winners in 2023, Kimura for outstanding jockey and Vives for leading apprentice.

Among the others in the seventh are Happy Quad, Rideau Hall, and War Empire.

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Happy Quad could lead the way with David Moran riding for trainer Darren Glennon. He ran second when debuting against Ontario-sired and $40,000 maidens last Nov. 26 before a troubled seventh against maiden-special rivals two weeks later.

After getting the winter off, Happy Quad set an uncontested pace before fading to second behind the favored first-time starter Essex Serpent in an April 27 maiden special.

The debuting Rideau Hall was a $102,000 purchase at the 2022 Canadian premier yearling sale. By the 9 percent first-out sire Palace Malice, Rideau Hall’s last two works were above average. Trainer Stuart Simon has won at a 9 percent clip with firsters the past five years, with a return on investment of $1.92.

War Empire was squeezed at the break before ending up seventh after a stalking trip at first asking Dec. 10. That maiden special contained two next-out winners.

Turf racing began on the inner course last weekend and Friday’s fourth race is the first main-turf tilt of the meet. Good News Money is the marquee horse in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint for Ontario-sired and $40,000 maiden females.

Good News Money finished second in two main-turf sprints last year under Kimura, who has the mount on Friday. The 4-year-old has been idle since a front-running fifth against males in a Nov. 19 maiden special weight route on the Tapeta. Her work tab is on the light side, but owner-trainer Nick Nosowenko won with a long-term layoff runner last year and probably has her fit enough for the task at hand.

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