Lovely Quid looks for breakthrough

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The lone non-claiming contest on Thursday’s eight-race card at Woodbine is a maiden special for Ontario-sired fillies and mares. The uninspiring group will divvy up a hefty $57,000 purse in the five-furlong dash.

Lovely Quid should be prominent under Emile Ramsammy, who was aboard for each of her three starts.

After finishing a distant sixth in her debut early at the meet in April, Lovely Quid was sidelined until Aug. 25, when she was fourth in a race that was taken off the turf. Most recently, she was a stalking second in another six-furlong maiden special on the Polytrack, in which she was beaten just three-quarters of a length.

Lovely Quid is trained by Laurie Silvera, who has had a very productive meet, winning with 24 of 144 starters, or 17 percent.

Gracing is the other main contender in the nominal feature.

Gracing missed the board in both of her 2-year-old outings last year. She kicked off her current campaign by running third in three consecutive maiden special sprints on the Polytrack. The rival who won her next-to-last race, Dancing Raven, has since placed in several stakes and was victorious in the La Prevoyante.

Gracing has been idle since July 7, when she was a tired fifth in a seven-furlong maiden special on the grass. She has recorded a series of half-mile works leading up to this engagement for trainer Kelly Callaghan, who will give her husband, jockey Slade Callaghan, a leg up on the filly.

Longtime maidens Executive Mancer and Tomahawk Sister are logical prospects for the bottom of intra-race wagers.

Executive Mancer has started 14 times this year, with three seconds and a pair of third-place finishes to her credit.

Executive Mancer has competed in maiden claimers since the middle of the summer, and she wound up second in back-to-back $16,000 events in July and August. She had a fast pace to run at last time out but had to settle for third in a subpar showing.

Steve Bahen replaces the injured Matt Moore on Executive Mancer, who is owned and trained by Mort Hardy.

Tomahawk Sister was competitive in $12,500 maiden claimers, before she was claimed from a lackluster effort July 11. She was campaigned at this Ontario-sired class in August, without any success.

Flashy Episode is debuting with blinkers, Lasix, and a mediocre pedigree.