Light the Lamp primed to score after tough trip

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – A huge field of 13 was drawn for Friday’s second leg of the Woodbine Turf Sprint Series. After a rough trip on the inner turf, Light the Lamp has more room to work with in the six-furlong main course event and could get back to winner’s circle under the hot apprentice Pietro Moran.

Light the Lamp had a banner 2023 season, during which he found the mark in 5 of 9 outings. Trainer Donnie MacRae lost him for $25,000 in September but claimed him back for $32,000 on Nov. 5 and then gave him the winter off after he won a first-level allowance with a 91 Beyer Speed Figure on Nov. 26.

Light the Lamp finished a close fourth in his May 19 comeback in a tough conditioned allowance. Most recently in the opening leg of the series, he clipped heels and stumbled on the backstretch before closing for third. For impeding a rival in the stretch, he was disqualified to eighth.

MacRae entered Quite Ready with a $40,000 tag in a starter/optional claimer, in which nine of the entrants are protected because they competed for $25,000 or less in 2023-24. He came from off a quick pace for second in a two-turn inner turf race July 7, three weeks after beating $25,000 claimers on the main turf.

Rafael Hernandez was aboard for each of Quite Ready’s last five wins and has the mount Friday.

After beginning the meet in career form, Rat Portage has been saddled with the outside post. He ran third in his season opener in allowance company on the main turf before clearing the first allowance condition on the Tapeta on June 30. Most recently in the restricted Pink Lloyd Stakes, he saved ground through the turn before closing outside to just miss second in a race won by reigning Canadian champion male sprinter Patches O’Houlihan.

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The hard-knocking Aim for the Sky begins inside Rat Portage in post 12. He should be forwardly placed, as usual, while going a little farther than his optimum distance. After a pace-pressing second in the first leg of the series, he finished fourth in a conditioned allowance at Monmouth.

Truebelieve won the opening leg of the series after a lovely trip while closing from seventh. He bounced three weeks later when sixth in first-level allowance, in which Forester’s Fortune was demoted from first to second by disqualification at 31-1. Stretch-runner Forester’s Fortune is only occasionally competitive, and it would be surprising to see him run another corker Friday, even he gets a favorable setup.

Jazz Hands was steadied around the three-eighths pole in the first leg before being impeded by Light the Lamp while fading in the stretch. The speedy California import won a leg of this series over Red River Rebel last summer before the Red River Rebel turned the tables on him a race later.

Red River Rebel, who posted mixed results in three Tapeta starts this year, worked a bullet half-mile last Sunday and could make some noise under leading rider Sahin Civaci.

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