Juveniles prep for Grade 1s in Soaring Free, Catch a Glimpse

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Poulin in O T and Helluva Holiday will both try the turf for the first time in separate 2-year-old stakes on Saturday at Woodbine, 6 1/2-furlong races that are preps for next month’s Grade 1 Summer and Grade 1 Natalma stakes.

Poulin in O T should be among the favorites in the $125,000 Soaring Free. He won both of his outings convincingly in front-running style on the Tapeta, including the 5 1/2-furlong Victoria Stakes under Luis Contreras.

Trainer Steve Owens said Poulin in O T worked five-eighths on the turf training course in 1:00.80 in company with Stolen on Aug. 12.

:: DRF Bets members get FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic. Join now!

“He handled it well,” Owens said. “They worked a half in 47 and change and he galloped five-eighths by himself.”

By the 11 percent grass sire Reload, Poulin in O T is a half-brother to stakes winners Seffeara and Zazinga.

“Zazinga excelled on the grass,” Owens recalled. “She won the La Prevoyante Stakes in front-running fashion.”

Owens has reason to believe that Poulin in O T will run on.

“Luis said he’ll run a lot farther,” Owens noted. “If he wins, we can try the Summer. If he’s just okay on the surface, we’ve got the Bull Page Stakes going seven furlongs, Ontario-sired.”

Trainer Kevin Attard sends out Philip My Dear, who was a rallying first-out winner in a six-furlong maiden special on the turf.

“He’s an Ontario-sired horse who had trained really well and ran to that first time out,” Attard said. “He had a nice breeze last week. He seems like a pretty nice colt.”

Leading trainer Mark Casse entered four in the 10-horse field – Battle Strike, One for Chap, Ninetyfour Expos, and Stayhonor Goodside.

One for Chap led throughout in his maiden victory on the grass while holding off Awesome Bourbon, who subsequently won another maiden-special.

Catch a Glimpse Stakes

Helluva Holiday is among a field of 12 in the $125,000 Catch a Glimpse for fillies.

:: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets.

Helluva Holiday made both of her starts here on the Tapeta. She won second time out against Ontario-sired maidens, scoring by 6 3/4 lengths with a 72 Beyer. A daughter of Firing Line, she doesn’t possess much turf breeding and trainer Dave Cotey said he doesn’t know what to expect on Saturday.

“I know she eats grass, but I don’t know if she can run on it,” Cotey said, jokingly. “She does have a tremendous turn of foot, and a turf horse needs that. She’s going into the race good.”

Kevin Attard will saddle Wickenheiser, who won a six-furlong maiden-special at first asking on the grass. He has the one-mile Natalma in mind for the full sister to Breeders’ Stakes victor Belichick.

“I think she needs more distance,” Attard said. “She got ready early. I tried to stretch it before we ran her, because nothing from that family has won under a mile. I want to get another race into her before the Natalma.”

There are a host of shippers in the lineup, including Grand Oak, who graduated second time out at Churchill before finishing 18th in the Group 2 Queen Mary at the prestigious Royal Ascot meet.