Kavala looks for rebound in move to turf

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Kavala has struggled since a promising start to her career at Gulfstream Park, but a change in surfaces could get her back on the beam in Saturday’s Woodbine headliner for fillies and mares.

The six-furlong main-turf sprint combines nonwinners-of-two allowance types with $50,000 claiming 3-year-olds, and Kavala is making her first non-Tapeta start for $50,000 under Jose Campos.

Kavala was claimed by trainer Bill Tharrenos for $16,000 from her victorious debut in January. When stepping up to a $35,000 starter/optional claimer in February, she won comfortably with a 73 Beyer Speed Figure under Irad Ortiz Jr.

When exiting a layoff of nearly 2 1/2 months here April 29 in the Star Shoot Stakes, Kavala began slowly before rallying from seventh to finish a close third behind Blind Spot and Jill Jitterbug, who was promoted to first by disqualification.

Kavala’s second crack at the first allowance condition on June 24 resulted in a troubled fourth behind the improving Luz de La Luna and future stakes winner Canadiansweetheart. After getting away slowly most recently July 15, she had a wide trip over an inside-biased track before trailing in seventh.

Kavala is by the 5 percent turf-sprint sire Mohaymen. Her dam was a useful grass runner who produced turf specialist Claddagh Cure, who won a restricted allowance on the Del Mar grass.

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Leading trainer Mark Casse entered Cardio Princess and Adora in the third race.

A 4-year-old Japanese-bred, Cardio Princess was a narrow loser twice on the grass here in allowance company last summer. She was a wide seventh off a seven-month break at Gulfstream in February and a ground-saving fifth following another layoff here July 20.

The diminutive Adora, a $450,000 yearling purchase by leading sire Into Mischief, is winless in six outings since her debut early in her 2-year-old season last year. Her turf form includes a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Natalma and a wide second behind future Canadian champion 2-year-old filly Cairo Consort in the Catch a Glimpse Stakes.

Patrick Husbands inherits the mount on Adora from leading rider Kazushi Kimura, who is replacing Husbands on Cardio Princess. Casse and Husbands combined to win Sunday’s $1 million King’s Plate with Paramount Prince.

Dolce Sopresa is racing on grass for the first time since finishing as the runner-up in her second 2-year-old start last August. The daughter of Maclean’s Music is shortening up off a well-beaten fifth in the Grade 3 Selene with Rafael Hernadez gaining the mount.

Tharrenos’s other runner, Too Much Vino, could only manage fourth last time out in an allowance/optional claimer on the dirt at Fort Erie. This is her first turf start, and she doesn’t have much turf breeding.

Completing the field is I’m Into Mischief, who has been in a tailspin since the spring.

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