Piper's Gift looks to continue Tapeta success in Glorious Song

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Piper’s Gift took to the Tapeta like a duck to water when graduating in a romp Sept. 20. She could go favored in Sunday’s $125,000 Glorious Song, one of two seven-furlong 2-year-old stakes on the Woodbine card, along with the $125,000 Display.

Trained by Dale Desruisseaux for Chiefswood Stables, Piper’s Gift had a wide trip when a chalky second at first asking in a July 26 maiden special on the main turf. She came back to finish fifth behind future Grade 1 Natalma winner Corsia Veloce in the Catch a Glimpse Stakes, another main turf sprint. Most recently in a six-furlong maiden special on the Tapeta, the daughter of Yorkton won by eight lengths with a 79 Beyer Speed Figure under Rafael Hernandez.

“She ran a huge race in her debut,” Desruisseaux recalled. “She was outside the whole way and ran second. She came back and finished fifth in the Catch a Glimpse Stakes, and I was a little disappointed. We had a little issue in that race – she bled a bit – which gave us an explanation. We put her on Lasix for the next one, and she was excellent.”

Desruisseaux is having a career year. He won last Sunday’s $250,500 Cup and Saucer with Dixie Law and notched two other stakes at the meet with the versatile 3-year-old Church and State.

The Glorious Song lured seven other fillies, including the shippers Smooch Up, Luv Your Neighbor, and Sacred Goddess.

Smooch Up was supplemented by trainer Ron Potts off a narrow victory in the 6 1/2-furlong Presque Isle Debutante. She also won her other two starts over the Tapeta at Presque Isle, with her lone loss coming in a dirt stakes at Colonial.

Luv Your Neighbor prevailed by a nose in her only start in a seven-furlong maiden special in the slop at Colonial. The Ontario-bred is by the excellent synthetic sire Constitution.

Turf specialist Sacred Goddess won her debut at Saratoga and subsequently ran fourth there in an open stakes before another fourth in a stakes for New York-breds at Aqueduct.

Display Stakes

Trainer Mark Casse entered Jupiter and Timeframe in the Display, which also attracted the supplements Lennox the Grey, Speights Will, and Streetshavenoname among a field of seven.

Jupiter won his opening race in June before ending up second to stablemate Casson in another Tapeta sprint, the Victoria Stakes. He never challenged most recently when fifth in the Soaring Free Stakes on turf.

Timeframe graduated second time out on the main turf and is coming off a troubled ninth in the Grade 1 Summer on the inner course.

Lennox the Gray and Speights Will are both exiting a maiden special score, the former on the inner turf and the latter on the Tapeta.

Streetshavenoname is back in action on short rest off a professional first-out win over Ontario-sired and $40,000 maidens last Sunday.

Baaeed Alynna debuts in the Display and has been working right along for trainer Kevin Attard, who also entered first-time starter Ada Clare in the Glorious Song.