Our Flash Drive stays sprinting in Whimsical Stakes
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Our Flash Drive displayed an affinity for sprinting when taking the Grade 2 Bessarabian impressively in November and will shorten up to six furlongs in Saturday’s $150,000 Whimsical Stakes at Woodbine.
Our Flash Drive was campaigned primarily as a miler by Live Oak Plantation and trainer Mark Casse prior to the Nov. 12 Bessarabian. Sent off as the favorite in the seven-furlong test, she came wide from sixth to win going away by 5 3/4 lengths over Hazelbrook while receiving a 99 Beyer Speed Figure.
Our Flash Drive finished a distant second in the 2022 Sovereign Award voting for champion female sprinter to Hazelbrook, who notched three stakes last year.
“Maybe I should have been sprinting her earlier,” Casse reflected. “I thought her last race in the fall was extremely good. I’m expecting big things from her this year. She’s a really good horse.”
Patrick Husbands has been working Our Flash Drive and will ride the Ghostzapper mare Saturday.
Casse also entered Miss Speedy and Ambassador Luna in the Grade 3 event.
Miss Speedy was sidelined for a year after ending up seventh in the Grade 2 Raven Run in October 2021 at Keeneland, which came after her lone stakes score here in the Duchess. She won an allowance in her third start off the bench here in December and has been idle since a poor showing on dirt in the Grade 2 Inside Information on Jan. 28 at Gulfstream Park.
“She went through a sale this year, and Gary Barber bought out” his partners, Casse said. “There’s just not a lot of places to run her. She’s been ready to run, so we’re going to run her. She kind of fools you. She trains like a really good horse. She’s run well, but you always feel like there’s more there.”
Miss Speedy is getting back on Lasix and will have Sahin Civaci aboard.
Ambassador Luna has been idle since ending up seventh in a key allowance/optional claimer in her first start for Casse on Jan. 18 at Gulfstream. Declan Carroll has the mount.
“She’s a really nice filly who’s been training well,” Casse said.
Trainer Tim Girten ships in Baby No Worries from Presque Isle Downs. She had a five-race winter campaign on Tapeta at Turfway Park that included a fast-closing second in the six-furlong WEBN Frog Stakes in March.
Antonio Gallardo rides Baby No Worries, who is going back on Lasix.
Rounding out the field are Forest Drift, Owen’s Tour Guide, Basalt Street, and Hard Edge.
Forest Drift and Hard Edge could link up on the early lead, with Miss Speedy in close proximity to them.
Hard Edge got a 91 Beyer Speed Figure when wiring second-level allowance/optional-claiming rivals in her last outing here Nov. 19.
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