Poetically back for Bison City

FORT ERIE, Ontario - Poetically, Canada's champion 2-year-old filly, will be looking to make up for lost time at Fort Erie on Sunday in the $266,250 Bison City Stakes.

A field of five Canadian-bred fillies will contest the 1 1/16-mile Bison City, the second leg of the Canadian triple tiara series, which began with the June 9 Labatt Woodbine Oaks.

Heading into this season, the long-term Woodbine Oaks forecast had called for a clash between Poetically and Dancethruthedawn, who had finished second in last year's Sovereign Award balloting.

But a blood disorder held up Poetically's return and she had raced just once this year, finishing third behind older rivals in a seven-furlong race at Woodbine May 26, when her Woodbine Oaks quest was abandoned.

"The filly wasn't 100 percent ready," said Roger Attfield, who trains Poetically for the Kinghaven Farm of David Willmot.

"I just felt the Oaks was the wrong move, so I decided to trainer her up to the Bison City."

Meanwhile, Dancethruthedawn won the Woodbine Oaks and went on to capture the Queen's Plate.

Dancen in the Sun, Quick Blue, and Penny Perfect, the two-three-four finishers in the 1 1/8-mile Woodbine Oaks, would seem to be coming into the Bison City with an edge in conditioning over Poetically.

"If I've done my job right, with the way she's been training she should be up to the task," said Attfield, who will give regular rider David Clark a leg up on Poetically here Sunday.

Dancen in the Sun, owned by Shirley and Gerry Gibbs and trained by David Bell, was seeking her third straight win and making her stakes debut when she was beaten 1 1/2 lengths in the Woodbine Oaks.

"She ran a great race, and look who beat us," said Mickey Walls, who picked up the mount on Dancen in the Sun in the Woodbine Oaks when Emile Ramsammy elected to ride Quick Blue.

"She did everything perfectly, and the race didn't take too much out of her."

Quick Blue, who finished 2 3/4 lengths behind Dancen in the Sun, was making her first start in a stakes, beyond seven furlongs, and around two turns for owner Joseph Lacombe and trainer Linda Rice.

Ramsammy said he had expected Quick Blue to show more speed in the Woodbine Oaks: "Hopefully she'll show a little more aggressiveness. I expect her to run a better race."

Gary Boulanger, who rode Dancethruthedawn to her Plate victory for Sam-Son Farm and trainer Mark Frostad, has picked up the mount on Penny Perfect, whom Frostad trains for Bob Anderson and Rod Ferguson.

Penny Perfect, who debuted at Keeneland April 11, will be making her fifth start in the Bison City.

"We've been playing catch-up all along," said Frostad, who will run Penny Perfect without blinkers for the first time here Sunday. "I thought she ran a great race in the Oaks, she just got tired the last eighth of a mile. I think she's set up for a big race."

Rounding out the field is Classical Romance, who finished third in Woodbine's Lady Angela in her first start of the year, but has been a non-factor in three subsequent outings.