Sky Can Fly figures out front

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The aptly named Sky Can Fly looks like the one to catch in the only nonclaiming event on Thursday's Woodbine card, a five-furlong maiden special for 2-year-old fillies, which is the first of nine races.

Sky Can Fly made her debut over six furlongs with a $32,000 claiming tag Oct. 2. After racing near the back of the pack in the first quarter, she made an eye-catching premature move on the outside on the turn to take control, only to be caught on the wire.

Sky Can Fly was boosted up to maiden special company for her second appearance Nov. 15, and gave it a big speed try before fading to second. The winner, Sharp Secretary, returned to capture an allowance just a week later.

Leading rider Patrick Husbands takes over on Sky Can Fly, a Florida-bred trained by Wray Lawrence.

Glory Park finished a respectable fourth at a whopping 132-1 in her lone outing Oct. 30. That 5 1/2-furlong maiden dash could be construed as a negative key race because the winner, Dazzling Countess, could only manage fourth as the favorite in Sharp Secretary's allowance victory.

Richard Dos Ramos will get a leg up on Glory Park from trainer Danny Vella, who bagged a double last Sunday.

Romantic Story wound up third despite running greenly when she debuted on the grass Oct. 18. She broke slowly in that six-furlong sprint before closing on her left lead to finish a length behind two rivals who both missed the board next time out. She adds Lasix on Thursday.

Romantic Story is trained by Josie Carroll, who over the past five years has posted a 21 percent strike rate with 2-year-old second-time starters that added Lasix.

Trainer Mark Casse sends out a pair of first-timers owned by John Oxley: Sky Halo and Aggressive Gal.

Sky Halo breezed a bullet half-mile from the gate on the Polytrack last Thursday. A daughter of Sky Mesa, Sky Halo is out of a mare who won her debut at 2.

Aggressive Gal is by Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos and out of Kentucky Oaks winner Gal in a Ruckus, who were both campaigned by Oxley. Gal in a Ruckus, who also won the Canadian Oaks here in 1995, has been a surprisingly poor producer.

Rounding out the first-race field are the debuters Variable Rate and Sulis, who are both sent out by trainers who rarely click at first asking.