Simply in Front looms large in Mazarine

ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Simply in Front passed up Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita in favor of Saturday’s Grade 3 Mazarine at Woodbine, and the promising filly should be a force to be reckoned with in the 1 1/16-mile Tapeta route.

A $115,000 yearling purchase by Colebrook Farms, Simply in Front ran second when debuting in a seven-furlong maiden special on the grass Aug. 19. Sent off at 29-1 a month later in the Grade 1 Natalma, she finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In qualifier after saving ground over a course with an outside bias. She subsequently graduated in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special on the Tapeta.

Trainer Patrick Dixon said the Grade 2 Jessamine at Keeneland was another possibility for Simply in Front after a $1.2 million offer was turned down for her after the one-mile Natalma.

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“That was a road we thought of taking, but we decided to do the right thing, try to break her maiden and see if we can win the Mazarine to try to make her champion 2-year-old filly in Canada,” Dixon said. “She’s got a lot racing left in her life. We didn’t want to burn her out by taking her to the Breeders’ Cup. She’s got a lot of maturing to do. When she grows up and matures, I think she’s going to be a very nice filly.”

The private trainer for Colebrook, Dixon notched his first stakes with Perfect Crime in the Oct. 22 Overskate. He believes Simply in Front is on target for a peak race over a surface that might not be her best.

“I think she likes the turf a little bit better,” Dixon explained. “But when she ran in the Natalma, she lied down for a couple of days after. She was tired. After the maiden win, she bounced right back out of it.”

The $150,000 Mazarine attracted five others, including unbeaten Tripolina, who is stretching out off a win over males in the seven-furlong Display Stakes.

Piper’s Factor steps up in Grey

Piper’s Factor makes his first start since his fast maiden score in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Grey for 2-year-olds, to which Simply in Front was cross-entered.

Trained by Katerina Vassilieva for Chiefswood Stables, Piper’s Factor ran greenly when eighth going three-quarters on debut July 30.

“The whole first race-day experience was kind of overwhelming for him,” Vassilieva recalled. “It was too short for him and he just ran out of ground. We always thought he’d want to stretch out.”

When moving out to 1 1/16 miles in another maiden special Sept. 10, Piper’s Factor fought for the lead before drawing clear to prevail with a Beyer Speed Figure of 82, the highest two-turn Tapeta Beyer for a 2-year-old at the Woodbine meet.

An allowance race failed to fill for Piper’s Factor a month ago, and the homebred has posted five straight half-mile breezes leading up to the Grey.

“I’ve been very happy with all his works,” Vassilieva said. “He’s done them well in hand, always by himself, galloping out well.”

Trainer Mark Casse entered Jayhawk, Midnight Mascot, and Sherif Ali, who was supplemented off his Oct. 26 debut victory.

Post time for Saturday’s 10-race card is 1:05 p.m.

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