Krz n' Flashy looks to fill hole left by brother

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Krz n' Flashy will try to fill the void left in trainer Mike DePaulo's barn after the recent retirement of his popular three-quarter brother Krz Ruckus when he contests Saturday's $125,000 Bull Page Stakes at Woodbine.

Krz n' Flashy debuted in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special sprint for Ontario-sired 2-year-olds Sept. 3. Sent off at 22-1, he prevailed by a nose after battling on the lead, earning a 56 Beyer Speed Figure.

DePaulo said he was not encouraged by the way Krz n' Flashy trained prior to his first start.

"He had worked very slowly," DePaulo recalled. "I knew he was fast leaving the gate, but he never really worked like he could run. It was a bit of a surprise. He ran a real gutsy race."

DePaulo said Krz n' Flashy has trained well in the interim. "He's breezed much better than he did in his works prior to his first race," he said.

Krz Ruckus, a 9-year-old, had a lucrative career, earning more than $1.1 million. DePaulo said the two geldings have some similarities.

"Krz n' Flashy looks a lot like his brother, but he's a little smaller," DePaulo said. "His brother generally didn't win his races by too far a margin, and he seems to have a little of that fight in him, too. When [Krz Ruckus] retired, we moved him into his stall."

Among the others entered in the six-furlong Ontario sire stakes are Legal Move and Dancer's Bajan.

Legal Move placed in three consecutive maiden races over a variety of surfaces before winning his maiden in the Simcoe Stakes, for graduates of local yearling sales.

Legal Move ran 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:17.60 in the Sept. 4 Simcoe, which translated into a solid 77 Beyer. Mark Casse, who won Monday's Grade 3 Grey BC Stakes with Skip Code, trains Legal Move.

Dancer's Bajan, one of the more promising Ontario-sired 2-year-olds on the grounds, was a fast-closing second to the talented Spread the News in his June 24 debut. He has been laid up since winning his maiden with a 68 Beyer going five furlongs on the inner track July 15.

"He had a minor baby problem, which we corrected," said trainer Bob Tiller. "He just needed a little rest. He was at the farm for about three weeks."

Dancer's Bajan has had two leisurely five-furlong works leading up to the Bull Page.