Next Pitch nearly overcame bias in season debut
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Next Pitch will try to hit it out of the park in Sunday’s Woodbine headliner for non-winners of three, a seven-furlong sprint that combines Ontario-sired allowance types with $40,000 claimers.
A homebred trained by John LeBlanc Jr., Next Pitch cleared the non-winners of two Ontario-sired allowance condition second time out last year going 6 1/2 furlongs. He went on to run competitively at this non-three level, capping his season with a troubled third on Sept. 7.
Off an eight-month layoff on May 2, Next Pitch ran a sneaky-good race when third traveling six furlongs at this level. Over a track that favored speed and inside runners, he mounted a wide rally on the turn to prompt the pace early in the stretch, only to flatten out late on his left lead. The 76 Beyer Speed Figure he received was just shy of his career high of 77.
“I thought he ran a powerful race first time out this year,” LeBlanc said. “He has trained well in the interim and I think he will appreciate the added distance.”
David Moran will break Next Pitch, a 6-year-old Souper Speedy gelding, from post 4 in an eight-horse field.
Paynes Spirit, Gone With Duwyn, and Bankingonamiracle are all exiting the same race as Next Pitch.
Paynes Spirit stalked a fast pace on the outside May 2 before making a bid, then weakened late to end up second to favored Regal Guest. The 4-year-old earned two Beyers in the low 80s when first and third against non-two company while in peak form last November.
Emma-Jayne Wilson will ride Paynes Spirit for trainer Julia Carey, who has solid numbers second time off a layoff.
Gone With Duwyn, the lone 3-year-old in the lineup, was a respectable fourth when running against the double bias while returning from a five-month break May 2. The Barbara Minshall-trained gelding won both of his 2-year-old races on the lead and could be more forwardly placed this time under Rafael Hernandez.
Bankingonamiracle got fried in a speed duel with Regal Guest on May 2 and faded in the stretch to trail the field. He was previously a front-running second on Nov. 27 for hot trainer Krista Cole, who has a 20 percent strike rate second time off a layoff.
Chambers is coming off a sagging sixth in his season opener in a $25,000 starter handicap. He was claimed from a victory for $15,000 in October by trainer Harold Ladouceur, who sent him out to finish third in a subsequent allowance before giving him the winter off.
Ciunas changed trainers during the offseason, going from the retired Hall of Famer Roger Afffield to Rachel Halden. The son of Silent Name annexed his first two starts last summer before coming up empty in the 1 1/2-mile Breeders’ Stakes. He has been idle since a neck loss in the Nov. 21 Lake Ontario Stakes going 1 1/16 miles for Ontario-sired sophomores.
Rounding out the ninth-race field are Rapid Grey and Countryboysurvive.
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