Like Mom Like Sons primed for first stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Like Mom Like Sons, an authoritative winner over older opponents in his first start of the season, will be favored against 3-year-olds in his stakes debut Saturday at Woodbine in the $125,000 Woodstock.

Like Mom Like Sons is unbeaten in three starts for Sid Attard, Woodbine's leading trainer from 2004-06. He won a maiden special with ease in October, and subsequently posted a workmanlike win in a six-furlong allowance in November.

Earlier this month, Attard said he entered Like Mom Like Sons in the allowance prep for the Woodstock and a second-level allowance, both of which failed to fill. Plan C for the colt's seasonal debut was a 6 1/2-furlong optional claimer, an April 7 race in which he led throughout to prevail by 3 1/2 lengths, earning an impressive 95 Beyer Speed Figure.

"I didn't know if he was fit enough to go that far, but the horse ran big," said Attard. "He won easily, and he had never worked farther than half-a-mile before the race."

Attard said he has no qualms with running Like Mom Like Sons back in two weeks.

"I think we're in good shape," Attard said. "He's been eating. I never breezed him. I just let him gallop along a little bit quicker [Tuesday]."

Attard said he ranks Like Mom Like Sons among the best horses he has trained, a list that includes Canadian champions Numerous Times and One for Rose.

"He's a really nice horse," said Attard. "He has a lot of class. He loves to train. If you let him, he'll go a half-mile in 46 like nothing. Last year, he worked [five-eighths] in 59 and change like nothing. This year, it looks like he's a little bit more relaxed."

Forbidden Bear and Angel of the House are also in the six-furlong event. Both are coming off first-level allowance scores here.

Forbidden Bear finished far back in his lone winter outing in the Sunshine Millions Dash at Gulfstream. He rebounded with a narrow win over next-out allowance winner Pete's Wonder here on opening day.

"We've always liked him," said trainer Reade Baker. "I probably didn't have him ready to run in Florida. He should have run better, although we realized that we were up against some fast horses."

Dancer's Bajan, the 121-pound highweight, is the lone Queen's Plate nominee in the six-horse field. He captured two Ontario sire stakes in the fall, the seven-furlong Frost King and the 1 1/16-mile Kingarvie.