Spadina Road in peak form but switching to turf in Vice Regent Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – A peaking Spadina Road will test his skills on grass Saturday at Woodbine in the $125,000 Vice Regent Stakes, a one-mile route for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds.

Even though he won a two-turn stakes in the fall, trainer Bob Tiller kept Spadina Road out of the run-up to the Queen’s Plate last spring, during which he won an allowance before closing for third in the restricted Bold Ruckus Stakes.

“We had some earlier issues with him, but he was still running well,” Tiller said. “Now, he’s overcome most of those issues and is doing even better. The key to the whole thing was keeping him away from the Plate trail. I think if we’d have done that, he wouldn’t be running now. He’s doing really well. I expect him to run big.”

After ending up third in the six-furlong Achievement Stakes on July 5, Spadina Road rallied to take the $125,000 Deputy Minister, a seven-furlong stakes for Ontario-sired sophomores. Tiller said he bypassed the yearling sales stakes earlier this week with the Rolph Davis-owned runner.

“This is the last Ontario-sired 3-year-old stakes, so we decided to stick with the program,” Tiller said.

The Vice Regent attracted seven others, including supplements Sizzling and Too Many Egbert’s.

KEY CONTENDERS

Spadina Road (Last 3 Beyers: 78-76-80)

◗ He received a career-best 80 Beyer Speed Figure in his lone grass outing in the six-furlong Bold Ruckus. “The turf is a question mark,” Tiller said. “He ran well on it before. I think if it stays fairly firm, we’ll be okay. Turf races are always risky because there are so many unknowns.”

Man Cave (Last 3 Beyers: 75-74-54)

◗ He was slow to come around this year but has recently taken a shine to the grass, over which he captured a one-mile optional claimer for Ontario-sired stock July 16. Most recently, he wound up third against older opposition in an open, 1 1/16-mile allowance race, from which runner-up Best Bard exited to romp at the same level.

◗ His connections won the 2012 Vice Regent with Seen It All Before.

Flashy Margaritta (Last 3 Beyers: 63-79-85)

◗ The speedy bay led throughout to win the Bold Ruckus before finishing second in the Achievement and sixth in the Deputy Minister. A mile seems beyond his range.

Eighty Nine Red (Last 3 Beyers: 76-82-72)

◗ The longshot Achievement winner was a nonthreatening seventh in his lone non-Polytrack start in the Bold Ruckus, much to the surprise of trainer Mike De Paulo.