Plenty of speed signed on for turf sprint feature
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Conventional first-level allowances have bitten the dust at Woodbine to the dismay of some horsemen. Beginning this week, such allowances add a $32,000 to $30,000 claiming option, which can help to fill the races and make them tougher.
Classy n’ Silent and Sparkle Sammy are both competing with a $30,000 tag at the aforementioned level in Saturday’s featured third race, a five-furlong inner-turf dash for fillies and mares.
Classy n’ Silent used her blazing speed to capture her May 7 season opener in a five-furlong conditioned claimer. She was protected most recently in a five-furlong optional starter and did well to finish second behind a sharp Takota while leaving favored Pretty Rachel back in third.
Classy n’ Silent has a five-furlong inner-turf tally on her record, which came against $15,000 nonwinners-of-two rivals last October. Daisuke Fukumoto will ride the 5-year-old again for trainer Ravendra Raghunath.
:: Get ready for Saratoga and Del Mar with a Quarterly subscription to DRF Past Performances
Normally a front-runner, Sparkle Sammy was outrun for the lead by the eventual winner, Forest Drift, last time out, but managed to finish a clear second in that $25,000 claimer. A five-time winner in 31 starts, the Steve Chircop-trained 7-year-old is being reunited with Patrick Husbands, who was up for her last victory in November 2020. She possesses some positive inner-turf experience and could be ready for a peak performance in her third outing of the year.
The abundance of speed in the race could set the table for stretch-runner Marais. The versatile 5-year-old has maintained solid form since November, when she won a seven-furlong starter handicap on the Tapeta. She was second in both of her starts here this spring at the first allowance category, most recently in a seven-furlong main turf sprint with a deep field.
Sahin Civaci, who was aboard for several of Marais’s best showings, will get a leg up from trainer Don Pleterski on her.
The Mark Casse-trained Cardio Princess is a need-the-lead type. The 3-year-old wired maiden special opposition when debuting in a five-furlong inner-turf sprint last August and then trailed after setting a lively pace in the Grade 1 Natalma in September.
Cardio Princess was a non-threatening seventh in her season opener in a March 26 turf stakes at Gulfstream. She was softened up in a speed duel here most recently when seventh in a 5 1/2-furlong allowance on the Tapeta.
Six Feet Apart is moving up off a $40,000 claim by trainer Mike Mattine and a neck loss against nonwinners-of-three opposition on the Tapeta. The quick 4-year-old was competitive on the grass early in her career.
Rounding out the field are Scatter the Clouds and Bodacious Miss. Both are starting for the first time since October, and each has a five-furlong inner-turf score on her résumé.