Pleasure's Gold brings stakes credentials into allowance feature
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Minor stakes winner Pleasure’s Gold comes off the sidelines in Friday’s Woodbine headliner, a nonwinners-of-three event combining Ontario-sired allowance types with $40,000 claimers. If ready, the 6 1/2-furlong sprint could be hers for the taking.
Pleasure’s Gold ran well on the Tapeta last summer, winning her maiden before losing a nonwinners-of-two allowance by a nose to Swirling Dancer. She went on to contest all four legs of the Ontario Sire Heritage Series for Ontario-sired 3-year-old fillies, finishing second in the Georgian Bay Stakes here on the inner turf before taking the Rondeau Bay Stakes on the dirt at Fort Erie.
Pleasure’s Gold subsequently finished sixth in the Thunder Bay Stakes here on the main turf and fifth in her first try around two turns in the Ashbridges Bay Stakes on the Tapeta.
Owned by Gordon and Elizabeth Lickrish, Pleasure’s Gold will be ridden by Rafael Hernandez for trainer Tino Attard, who sent her out to work five-eighths three times since late April. Going back five years, Attard was 2 for 14 (14 percent) with six-month-plus layoff runners, with a positive return on investment of $2.18.
Also entered in Friday’s feature are Swirling Dancer, Winyah Bay, Perfect Provision, Spanish Beauty, and Nadiabizniz.
Swirling Dancer has been a disappointment since beating Pleasure’s Gold on July 16. She prevailed in a front-end battle before weakening to fourth last time out in November.
Swirling Dancer is sent out by trainer Richard Morden. In the past five years, he won at a 13 percent clip with horses exiting a layoff of more than six months, with an ROI of $1.73.
Winyah Bay raced wide throughout when fourth among three next-out winners in $25,000 nonwinners-of-three claimer on Dec. 11. Her owner-trainer, Nick Nosowenko, scored with the long-term comebacker Scoot Daddy last Saturday.
Perfect Provision is the lone winter-raced entrant. She started four times at the Gulfstream Park Championship meet, during which she beat $12,500 nonwinners-of-two claimers easily on the dirt in January. She got a break after a flat fourth-place finish against $20,000 conditioned opposition on March 5, and this will be her first start for trainer Willy Armata.
Spanish Beauty bore out on the turn in her disappointing season debut on opening day, April 22. When donning an extension blinker last Friday, she wired $25,000 nonwinners-of-two foes going five furlongs. Stretching out to 6 1/2 furlongs while moving up in class on short rest are some daunting obstacles for her on Friday.
Nadiabizniz is putting her two-race win streak on the line under apprentice Amanda Vandermeersch. She graduated over $15,000 maidens in October and then wired $15,000 nonwinners-of-two claimers off a 6 1/2-month break on May 6.
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