Quiet Jungle can turn tables

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Quiet Jungle, arguably the best horse in the Grade 2 Nassau Stakes six weeks ago, should be a force to be reckoned with Saturday at Woodbine in the $300,000 Dance Smartly. The Dance Smartly is one of two nine-furlong turf stakes on the card, along with the Toronto Cup.

Quiet Jungle, trained by Mark Frostad, participated in two-thirds of the 2007 Canadian triple tiara, a series for 3-year-old fillies. She was a distant fifth in the Woodbine Oaks, and then went to the sidelines after ending up a troubled third in the July 1 Bison City Stakes.

Quiet Jungle resurfaced in a second-level allowance April 24 at Keeneland, her first turf attempt, and wound up a close second. Most recently in the May 31 Nassau on the turf here, she tracked the early pace before losing ground, and then re-rallied in the stretch to finish a nose behind Callwood Dancer in second.

"She was up close to the pace, and then the whole field passed her," said Frostad. "She came on again, and just missed. She's always been better on turf."

Trainer Roger Attfield entered Callwood Dancer and Sans Souci Island in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly.

Callwood Dancer set a slow pace in the 1 1/16-mile Nassau and held on in a gutsy display.

"We thought we would be on the lead, when you looked at the Form," said Attfield. "I was hoping that she'd have somebody to track, but she's pretty versatile, and there wasn't any speed in there, so she just took it up."

Attfield said he was pleased with Callwood Dancer's six-furlong breeze over the turf training course last Sunday.

Sans Souci Island won the restricted Carotene Stakes in October, and is coming off a second over yielding ground in the Tattling Stakes. Attfield said she failed to relax when ninth in the Nassau.

"The Nassau was a mess," Attfield recalled. "She never settled, and her head was upside down most of the race."

Tell It As It Is came from 11 lengths back to take the 1 1/16-mile Tattling convincingly. She enjoys any kind of ground, but the possibility of a slow pace might hinder her chances.

Kentucky shipper May Night was beaten a nose in the 2007 Dance Smartly, and also ran second in last year's Nassau.