Seek and Destroy invades for Ontario Colleen

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Shippers figure to make their presence felt in Saturday’s $125,000 Ontario Colleen at Woodbine, most notably the Chad Brown-trained Seek and Destroy, who should go favored among 10 3-year-old fillies in the one-mile turf stakes.

Seek and Destroy used a speed style to win two straight off-the-turf races in October at Belmont, including the Chelsea Flower Stakes. Off a layoff of nearly seven months there May 18, she won the Grade 3 Soaring Softly Stakes from off the pace on “good” ground.

Seek and Destroy went from seven furlongs to a mile most recently at Belmont in the Wild Applause Stakes, finishing a front-running third behind two other Brown charges.

The Grade 3 Ontario Colleen is the first stakes on the new inner turf course. Saturday’s 11-race card also includes the $100,000 Toronto Cup Stakes, a nine-furlong event for 3-year-olds on the main turf course.

KEY CONTENDERS

Seek and Destroy, by Verrazano
Last 3 Beyers: 86-87-68

◗ Brown’s last local score came in the Grade 1 Summer Stakes with Fog of War in September. His overall Woodbine record is 10 wins from 68 starts for earnings in excess of $2.4 million.

Carnival Colors, by Distorted Humor
Last 3 Beyers: 72-72-72

◗ A narrow loser of the Grade 3 Mazarine here in October, she’s coming off a victory in a first-level allowance on the Laurel grass. Trainer Mike Stidham has three wins and two seconds from five starters at this meet.

Queen of Bermuda, by Exceed and Excel
Last 3 Beyers: 78-75-59

◗ The Graham Motion-trained sprinter is going long for the first time off a troubled second in the Honey Bee Stakes at Monmouth.

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Holyanna, by Point of Entry
Beyer: 74

◗ The half-sister to Canadian champion Holy Helena finally made her debut June 22 in a maiden special weight route on the grass. Over a course that favored speed, she closed wide from fifth to win going away while in hand.

Sister Peacock, by Real Solution
Last 3 Beyers: 82-80-77

◗ After runner-up placings in a pair of one-mile starter stakes at Gulfstream, the speedy bay returned here this spring to capture two sprint stakes, the Star Shoot on the Tapeta and the William D. Graham Memorial on the grass.

Speedy Soul, by Souper Speedy
Last 3 Beyers: 86-79-79

◗ She’s experimenting on the turf following a victory in the restricted Bison City Stakes.

Encierro in Toronto Cup

Encierro is making his stakes debut in what could be his prep for the Aug. 17 Breeders’ Stakes, the anchor leg of the Canadian Triple Crown. Trained by Catherine Day Phillips, Encierro graduated with ease in a maiden special for Ontario-bred 3-year-old graduates of any sale here June 8.