Perfect Soul returns to favorite turf course

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Perfect Soul, who will be looking to close out his career with a bang in Saturday's Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland and the Oct. 30 Breeders' Cup Mile at Lone Star Park, worked five furlongs on the training track turf course here at Woodbine on Tuesday morning.

Assistant trainer Rachel Halden was in the irons as Perfect Soul, who had the course all to himself, was clocked in 1:00.

The clockers caught Perfect Soul going his opening quarter in 23.60 seconds, three furlongs in 35.80, and half-mile in 48.40. The horse galloped out six furlongs in 1:15.

"He'll be happy now," said trainer Roger Attfield. "He's been looking to work the last two or three days."

Perfect Soul, a 6-year-old coming off a second-place finish behind Soaring Free here in the Grade 1 Atto Mile, is the defending champion in the Grade 1, $600,000 Shadwell Turf Mile and is undefeated in three career starts at Keeneland.

"He's basically hardly ever run a bad race anywhere," said Attfield, "but I think he likes two-turn racetracks better."

A mile at Woodbine is run around one turn.

Edgar Prado, who has ridden Perfect Soul to each of his Keeneland scores, returns Saturday following a three-race hiatus.

Perfect Soul was scheduled to ship out for Keeneland on Wednesday in company with One for Rose, who will be making her first out-of-town appearance in Sunday's Grade 1, $500,000 Spinster, a 1 1/8-mile race for fillies and mares.

One for Rose, a 5-year-old trained by Sid Attard, is Canada's reigning champion turf female.

Surging River, the fourth-place finisher in the Atto Mile, also is headed to Lexington for the Shadwell Mile. The 4-year-old Surging River became a stakes winner in the restricted With Approval over 1 1/8 miles of grass here Aug. 8

Silver Ticket heads to Keeneland

Silver Ticket, who won the Grade 3 Toronto Cup over 1 1/8 miles of grass here July 17, was to be among eight Sam-Son horses scheduled to depart Wednesday for the Keeneland meeting.

Silver Ticket's immediate target is Sunday's $100,000 Storm Cat, a one-mile turf race for 3-year-olds. He has not run since finishing third in the Breeders' Stakes here Aug. 8.

"There was nothing I was aiming him for, so I gave him a little breather after that," said trainer Mark Frostad. "He's had a couple of good works."

Soaring Free, who is heading straight to the Breeders' Cup Mile following his Atto Mile success, will be part of a Sam-Son group shipping to Keeneland in about two weeks.

Royal Regalia on BC bubble

Royal Regalia, a solid third in the Atto Mile, also will be looking to make his next start in the Breeders' Cup Mile.

Trained by Justin Nixon, Royal Regalia came into the Atto Mile off a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Fourstardave over 1 1/16 miles of turf at Saratoga.

The Fourstardave marked the stakes debut for Royal Regalia, a 4-year-old gelding who could find himself on the outside looking in if the Breeders' Cup Mile is oversubscribed.

"If we don't get in, he'll go to Adena Springs South for a bit of a break," said Mike Rogers, who acts as racing manager for the Stronach Stable.

Ontario Derby coming up strong

Just in Case Jimmy will be seeking his second consecutive stakes score in Sunday's $150,000 Ontario Derby.

The field for the Ontario Derby, a 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds, also should include A Bit O'Gold and Organ Grinder, the top two active members of the division.

Just in Case Jimmy became a stakes winner in his last start, rallying smartly under regular rider Richard Dos Ramos to defeat older horses in the 1 1/16-mile Elgin, a yearling sales stakes.

'Didycheat' looking out of town

One of the most impressive performances here last weekend came in a losing cause as Didycheatamand-howe was beaten a neck as the runner-up to Higher World in the $278,750 Mazarine over 1 1/16 miles.

"I was absolutely delighted," said Sandy McPherson, who trains Didycheatamandhowe. "I thought it was a tremendous performance, for a horse making just her second lifetime start."

Didycheatamandhowe's only previous outing came here five weeks earlier, when she won at six furlongs for a claiming price of $50,000.

McPherson would prefer to keep Didycheatmeandhowe in two-turn races and, with the filly's local options limited because she is Kentucky-bred, he is looking south of the border for her next engagement.

The Demoiselle, a 1 1/8-mile race at Aqueduct, and the Golden Rod, a 1 1/16-mile race at Churchill Downs, are possible targets. Both the Demoiselle and the Golden Rod are Grade 2, $200,000 events for 2-year-old fillies and will be run Nov. 27.