South Bay Cove tries to erase flop

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - South Bay Cove will try to rebound from her loss in the My Dear Stakes when she runs in Saturday's $160,350 Shady Well Stakes, a 5 1/2-furlong dash for Canadian-bred 2-year-old fillies.

Trained by Roger Attfield for Windhaven, South Bay Cove earned the highest Beyer Figure by a 2-year-old at Woodbine this year, an 87, when she won her debut in a 4 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race May 22.

South Bay Cove was the overwhelming 1-2 favorite July 4 in the five-furlong My Dear Stakes, but appeared to be spinning her wheels on a dead rail while stalking the pace. She faded in deep stretch after being checked by an opponent and was subsequently promoted from fifth to fourth by disqualification.

From the first crop of Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus, South Bay Cove has the same owner and trainer as her dam, Fantasy Lake, the 1998 Sovereign Award winner as champion 2-year-old filly. Attfield said, however, that she is different from Fantasy Lake in many ways.

"She's a smaller and more athletic type of a horse than her mother was," Attfield said. "She has a little bit more of a hotter attitude than her mother, but she can run fast."

Also in the Shady Well lineup are Time Saver, Ring City, Dancehall Deelites, and Edith Prickley.

Time Saver received a 71 Beyer when she romped in a June 6 maiden special for trainer Gail Casselman, who said she was somewhat surprised by Time Saver's dominating effort.

"I thought she would run well, but I wasn't sure that she would run that well," said Casselman. "I really hadn't wound her up. She pretty much did it on natural ability."

Time Saver caught a virus after being entered in the My Dear and had to be scratched. She has since been sold to Triumph Racing Stable and has recorded two bullet workouts leading up to the Shady Well.

Ring City came from off the pace to capture her July 9 debut going five furlongs. She only got a 60 Beyer that day, but trainer Malcolm Pierce said he was very pleased by the way she won.

"She was very professional, the way she came between horses in the stretch," said Pierce. "She - Soaring Free, Canada's reigning champion sprinter, will be a short price in Saturday's supporting feature, the Ontario Jockey Club Stakes. The seven-furlong turf race for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds and up is worth $107,000.