Seaway may be next for Hour of Justice

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Hour of Justice asserted her dominance over the local sprinting turf fillies and mares on Monday, winning the Grade 3 Royal North in impressive fashion.

"She's always impressed me since I've had her," said Mike Keogh, who took over as Hour of Justice's trainer this spring and has sent her out to win both of her 2004 starts. She is owned and was bred by Stronach Stable. "She worked like she's a really good horse."

Hour of Justice, being Kentucky-bred, does not have an abundance of local options. Keogh named the $125,000 Seaway, a seven-furlong dirt race for fillies and mares here Sept. 11, as one possible spot for the 4-year-old's next appearance.

Keogh also mentioned the Grade 3, $150,000 Noble Damsel, a one-mile turf race for fillies and mares at Belmont Sept. 25, as a possible target.

Back-up plan for Mobil

The Keogh-trained Mobile is slated to make his next appearance in the Grade 1 Arlington Million on Aug. 14. But in case Mobil looks like he's not going to make the field for the Million, Keogh planned to enter both Mobil and Last Answer in Saturday's $125,000 Seagram Cup, at 1 1/16 miles here on the main track.

Pre-entries for the Arlington Million, a 1 1/4-mile turf race, will be taken Friday, and Keogh figures that by Saturday he should have a handle on whether Mobil has a realistic shot at making the starting lineup. Mobil is a Grade 3 stakes winner and would rank low in preference for the Arlington Million.

If Mobil runs in the Seagram, Last Answer would be entered back in Sunday's $97,000 With Approval, a 1 1/8-mile turf race for Canadian-breds that is not part of the guaranteed stakes schedule.

Perfect Soul fresh for Atto

Roger Attfield is planning to train Perfect Soul up to the Sept. 19 Atto Mile following Perfect Soul's fifth-place finish here in the July 25 Chinese Cultural Centre Stakes over 1 3/8 miles of turf.

The original schedule had called for Perfect Soul to run in the Arlington Million and then come back in the Grade 1, $1 million Atto Mile.

"I've done well with him off long layoffs," said Attfield, who conditions Perfect Soul for owner-breeder Charles Fipke.

"He left me a little confused after his last race. It was probably too long for him, but he didn't run his style."

One sold, one injured

Stylin Cat, a Florida-bred who won his debut over six furlongs of turf here July 17, had been scheduled to contest last Saturday's Colin Stakes but was sold privately and is in California with new trainer Bobby Frankel. The sale price was not announced.

Trainer Mark Casse purchased Stylin Cat for $10,000 in Florida last August and owned the colt in partnership with HorseN Around Stable.

Quite a Ruckus, a filly who had won her only previous start in the My Dear Stakes here July 4, ran for the Casse barn in the Colin but emerged from her second-place finish with an unspecified problem.

"She's going to be out for the rest of the year," said Casse, who conditions Quite a Ruckus for owner-breeders Rick and Nancy Kaster. "It's a minor type of injury; she's just going to need time."

Silver Bird preps for Duchess

Silver Bird, a 3-year-old, will face five older rivals in Friday's $67,900 third-level optional claiming feature for fillies and mares.

Owned by Jim McAlpine and trained by Reade Baker, Silver Bird will be using the six-furlong race as her tune-up for the Grade 3, $150,000 Duchess, a seven-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies here Aug. 21.

Silver Bird, winner of the seven-furlong Glorious Song Stakes here last fall, has been pointing for the Duchess since finishing a distant last of five in the 1 1/8 mile Woodbine Oaks on June 13. In her first two starts this year, Silver Bird finished second to Eye of the Sphynx here in both the seven-furlong Fury and the 1 1/16-mile Selene.

Baker pair out for year

Ontheqt and One to Celebrate, both trained by Reade Baker, are both out for the season after being injured in races at Fort Erie.

Ontheqt, a homebred 3-year-old filly owned by Baker in partnership with his wife, Janis Maine, suffered a chipped ankle when finishing third in the six-furlong Daryl Wells Senior Memorial on July 4.

In her start prior to the Wells Memorial, Ontheqt had finished fifth here in the 1 1/16-mile Selene on May 23.

Ontheqt had closed out her 2003 campaign and opened up her current one with stakes victories here over six furlongs, with last fall's success coming in the Fanfreluche and this spring's in the Star Shoot.

Onetocelebrate, a homebred 3-year-old colt owned by Curraghmore Farm and Formal Racing Stable, suffered a chipped knee when finishing last of seven in the 1 3/16-mile Prince of Wales on July 19. In his start prior to the Prince of Wales, One to Celebrate had captured a 1 1/16-mile allowance race for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds and upward here July 1.