Owen's Tour Guide finding her best form at age 6

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Owen’s Tour Guide has turned her form around using an aggressive style. The 6-year-old will try to notch her first stakes victory in Saturday’s $125,000 Sweet Briar Too for fillies and mares at Woodbine.

Trained by Willy Armata, Owen’s Tour Guide won two of her final four 2023 outings in front-running fashion. After wintering in Florida, she led all the way in her second race of the meet in an allowance/optional claimer. Most recently in another 6 1/2-furlong Tapeta sprint, the Grade 3 Hendrie, she set a quick pace before getting overhauled late by a wide-closing Gal in a Rush, earning a career-high 91 Beyer.

“She ran a big race last time,” Armata said. “It’s unfortunate that she didn’t see the horse on the far outside who came and won it. She was always a good horse. Mentally, she just didn’t have it together. The first couple years, it’s like I was asking her to do something that she didn’t want to do. I was trying to rate her. Last year, we changed her running style where she went on the lead, and she gets more aggressive when she’s out there.

“I’m not saying that she can’t run from off the pace anymore, but she likes to be out there and be the boss.”

The Sweet Briar Too is scheduled for six furlongs on the main turf. Owen’s Tour Guide has two wins from 11 grass starts.

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“She’s doing pretty good,” Armata said. “The only thing that concerns me is when she won on the turf, it was wet both times. Every other time when I ran her on the turf, she never showed up. I’m hoping, with her new style of running, that it doesn’t matter whether it rains or shines.”

Ryan Munger will break Owen’s Tour Guide from post 6 in an 11-horse field that includes shippers Queen of the Mud, Loon Cry, Panama Red, and Gastown Babe.

Based in Maryland with trainer Graham Motion, Queen of the Mud has made all five of her starts in turf sprints and is coming off a wide second in the Goldwood Stakes at Monmouth Park. The Irish-bred is going back on Lasix and could go favored under Rafael Hernandez.

Loon Cry came from Belmont Park to prevail in a seven-furlong conditioned allowance/optional claimer on main turf here June 15 for Gal in a Rush’s trainer, Christophe Clement.

Panama Red was a stakes performer early in her career in Ireland and has been campaigned sporadically in the United Stakes. She ran fourth in her June 23 season opener in a conditioned allowance/optional claimer at Churchill Downs for trainer Mike Stidham.

Gastown Babe has been knocking on the door in second-level allowance company at Laurel Park under the guidance of former Woodbine trainer Justin Nixon.

Star Candy was promoted from fifth to fourth after a wide trip in the Grade 3 Royal North here June 1.

Queen Macha could challenge from well off the pace and the speedy Miss Vyvyanne may go with Owen’s Tour Guide early.

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