Rat Portage could be overlooked in betting

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Rat Portage goes back to the Tapeta on Sunday at Woodbine off a wide run on the grass and looks like a player in the featured eighth race, a six-furlong conditioned allowance with a $50,000 claiming option.

Following a productive 2023 campaign, Rat Portage has been even better this year since joining trainer Sylvester Ollivierre’s barn during the offseason. After rallying for third in his May 26 comeback on the grass, the 6-year-old cleared the first allowance condition over next-out winner Clayton on June 30 while putting up an 85 Beyer Speed Figure.

Rat Portage didn’t disgrace himself in the July 28 Pink Lloyd Stakes for Ontario-sired runners. The favored Canadian champion sprinter Patches O’Houlihan darted out to a clear lead and never looked back while Rat Portage closed for third and got a career-high 86 Beyer. “Patches” won his next two starts in graded stakes.

Most recently, Rat Portage was saddled with post 11 in the second leg of the Woodbine Turf Sprint Series, a glorified starter with a $40,000 claiming option. After breaking slowly, he went four wide on the turn en route to finishing sixth, 3 3/4 lengths behind victorious Red River Rebel.

From post 4, Jason Hoyte will ride Rat Portage again for owner Jamar Gibson in a competitive six-horse field. These lesser-known connections should ensure a square price on the son of popular Ontario sire Reload.

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Red River Rebel, another closer by Reload, usually garners lots of support and could go favored under leading rider Sahin Civaci. He won his second start of the meet at this level when competing for the claiming tag. After a lackluster fifth-place finish on the stretch-out to seven furlongs, he won the aforementioned starter on the main turf with an 85 Beyer.

Marty Drexler trains Red River Rebel and Scoot Daddy, who has been campaigned sporadically since last fall. The 5-year-old was claimed from a victory for $35,000 at Gulfstream Park in January and subsequently ran fourth in a March 24 allowance/optional claimer won by the good Sweet Cherry Pie. After a tardy start, he was a non-threatening ninth last out here June 16, in a tough grass race that contained the future winners Niagara Skyline and I’m A Gambler.

Light the Lamp looks to be rounding into form. After going 5 for 9 in 2023, the Reload gelding is winless in four outings this year. He was disqualified from a narrow loss in the opening leg of the Woodbine Turf Sprint Series two back and is coming off a third behind Saratoga shipper Outlaw Kid and Forester’s Fortune in the Vice Regent Stakes for Ontaro-breds.

Crumlin Lad came close to winning at the first allowance condition several times before turning the trick in a gritty performance most recently in a main turf sprint over good ground.

Poulin in O T, a multiple restricted stakes winner, was in decent Tapeta form before getting softened up in a speed duel on the turf in a dull performance last time out.

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