Phil's Dream ready for rematch in New Providence

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Canada’s 2013 champion male sprinter, Phil’s Dream, will look to win his first race of the season on Monday at Woodbine when he faces six other Ontario-sired foes in the $125,000 New Providence Stakes, a six-furlong sprint on Polytrack.

After winning 7 of 10 starts in 2013, including three stakes, Phil’s Dream made his 2014 debut in an allowance prep for the New Providence on April 27. He finished second as the 3-5 favorite, three-quarters of a length behind Citius.

Despite the result, trainer Paul Buttigieg said he thought Phil’s Dream ran well and said that he’s training well coming into the New Providence. Phil’s Dream breezed five furlongs on the main track in 1:00.80 on May 11 in preparation for this start.

Citius, who hasn’t raced in a stakes since the Overskate in September 2012, settled off the pace in the New Providence prep and made a five-wide move through the turn, holding off Phil’s Dream in the final strides.

“I was pleasantly surprised he was able to beat Phil’s Dream,” said trainer Ralph Biamonte. “I thought I’d be running for second money but it worked out fine for me.”

Citius has worked once since that start, breezing four furlongs on the main track in 50 seconds on May 11.

“He’s the same horse he was training up to that race,” Biamonte said. “He doesn’t give you anything fantastic but he shows up every day and he’s a workmanlike horse. Everything’s fine and he’s going in good.”

Biamonte will also start Jenna’s Wabbit, who ran in the prep but faded to sixth.

Paso Doble has won the New Providence Stakes in two of the last three seasons and is looking to bounce back off of a seventh-place finish in his seasonal debut in the Jacques Cartier Stakes on April 13.

Langstaff, who won the Bold Ruckus Stakes on turf and was stakes-placed in two Ontario-sired Polytrack sprint stakes last season, will be making his 2014 debut for trainer Robert Tiller.

Sorry About That has already won against Ontario-sired foes this season and was third last time in an open first-level allowance over six furlongs on May 4.

Sniper, who placed in a stake at Turfway Park in late March, led throughout an open allowance here on April 18, but couldn’t hold off the classy Pender Harbour in the late stages of that race.