Simon has two Woodbine stakes covered

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Stuart Simon will split up his two speedy stakes winners Saturday at Woodbine, when he runs Summer Sunday in the $100,000 Belle Mahone Stakes and Sister Peacock in the Grade 3 Ontario Fashion.

Summer Sunday, last year’s Canadian champion female sprinter, wasn’t up to snuff in her first two starts at the meet in a pair of graded stakes, but she led all the way in a six-furlong allowance/optional claimer Sept. 5.

“She’s had a problem with thumping in hot weather, and that was a nice cool day,” Simon said regarding her improved last outing. “She ran her race.”

Summer Sunday has never competed beyond seven furlongs, but Simon is confident that the 5-year-old will handle the stretch-out to 1 1/16 miles in the Belle Mahone.

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“We always wanted to try her long, and we think she’ll go long,” Simon said. “It seems like this is the time to do it. When she’s been right, she’s always shown in her training and in her good races like she would carry on.”

Sister Peacock is unbeaten in two Tapeta starts over the six-furlong distance of the $125,000 Ontario Fashion. She won her seven-furlong season opener in a second-level allowance, and then led until late stretch when fifth in the Grade 2 Royal North over six furlongs on the grass.

Most recently, Aug. 16 in the seven-furlong Seaway Stakes, Sister Peacock pressed the pace before fading to fifth in the final furlong.

“She’s doing really good,” Simon said. “She had a nice little freshening after a couple of hard races. She showed last time that she doesn’t absolutely need the lead. She can rate. She was right there until the eighth pole. At the end of the day, I think she’s better at six furlongs than seven furlongs.”

Painting was cross-entered in the two stakes. The nicely bred daughter of Distorted Humor rallied for second in each of her last three stakes starts, including in the Seaway.

American shippers Tomlin and Victory Kingdom, who was supplemented, also are in the six-horse Ontario Fashion field.

The synthetic freak Souper Escape will try to keep her unbeaten record on Woodbine’s Tapeta intact in the Belle Mahone.

Trained by Mike Trombetta, Souper Escape won her first local appearance last September in the 1 1/16-mile La Lorgnette Stakes. She was winless in her next five starts, all on turf, before taking the Grade 3 Trillium in front-running style with a 96 Beyer Speed Figure at 1 1/16 miles here July 18. Formerly based in Maryland, she has remained here with assistant trainer Darren Glennon since taking the Grade 3 Seaway with a 92 Beyer on Aug. 16.

In a field of nine, Souper Escape should be odds-on under Luis Contreras.