Saskawea and Suva shine in works

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Saskawea and Suva both turned in sizzling six-furlong works here last weekend in preparation for Sunday's $500,000 Woodbine Oaks.

Saskawea, with regular rider Justin Stein in the irons, was caught in 1:11.60 on Saturday, while Suva, under jockey Gerry Olguin, went in 1:11.40 on Sunday.

Saskawea and Suva are slated to be among the field of 10 expected to be entered Thursday for the Woodbine Oaks, a 1 1/8-mile race for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies.

Owned and bred by Les Pereira, Saskawea began her campaign with an impressive win in the seven-furlong Fury for Ontario foals, then finished second to Kentucky-bred Bear Now in the Grade 3, 1 1/16-mile Selene.

Steve Attard, who trains Saskawea, was pleased with Saturday's workout.

"It was unbelievable," said Attard. "I was going to work her in company, but I'm glad I didn't. How much faster would you want her to go?

"But, I believe the kid. Justin said that was breezing for her - all he asked her to do was gallop out a bit."

Suva, owned by Jeffrey Sengara and trained by Steve Henson, had her first local workout after checking in from Hastings less than two weeks ago.

"She was a little bit lost out there at first," said Henson. "It's a long backstretch. But she handled it well; she was well within herself."

Pedro Alvarado is scheduled to be here from Vancouver to ride Suva, who will have to be supplemented to the Woodbine Oaks at a cost of $12,500.

Sealy Hill, Quiet Jungle drill

Sealy Hill and Quiet Jungle, who are among the other leading locally based candidates for the Woodbine Oaks, had their major drills at five furlongs here Saturday.

Regular rider Patrick Husbands was aboard Sealy Hill, who breezed five furlongs in 59.80 seconds while going in company with Mount Royer, an unraced 3-year-old filly stablemate who was clocked in 1:00.40.

"She's not always the greatest work horse," Mark Casse said of Sealy Hill, whom he trains for owner-breeder Eugene Melnyk. "She does what she has to do."

Quiet Jungle worked in 1:00.20 under jockey Todd Kabel after stalking Walk With Kings, a male 3-year-old stablemate who was timed in 1:01.

"She tracked him and ran him down in the stretch," said Mark Frostad, who trains Quiet Jungle for owner-breeder Sam-Son Farm.

In developments involving other Woodbine Oaks candidates:

* Street Sounds, trained by Michael Matz, worked five furlongs in 1:02.20 at her Fair Hill, Md., base on Sunday and is slated to be here Thursday morning.

* Belleplaine and Christies Treasure, a pair of Woodbine Oaks candidates trained by Todd Pletcher, had their final tune-ups on Monday morning. Belleplaine breezed four furlongs in 51.60 over a sloppy Belmont training track, while Christies Treasure breezed in a bullet 47 over Arlington's Polytrack surface.

* Palace Pier, who finished eighth with blinkers off in the Selene, worked five furlongs in 1:01 with the blinkers back on here Sunday morning under Emile Ramsammy, who has picked up the mount for the Woodbine Oaks.

* Love You Crazy and Dance to My Tune, a pair of local Oaks longshots, worked here Monday.

Love You Crazy, trained by Reade Baker, worked five furlongs in 1:02 under Jono Jones, who will be aboard for the Oaks.

Dance to My Tune breezed five furlongs in 1:01.20 for trainer Dave Cotey under regular rider Constant Montpellier.