Squires back with more Cairo Prince juveniles in Soaring Free, Catch a Glimpse stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The Nathan Squires-trained Cairo Consort was crowned Canadian champion 2-year-old filly in 2022 after winning the Catch a Glimpse Stakes and running third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Squires will be armed with more Cairo Prince offspring on Saturday’s King’s Plate undercard when he saddles Cairo Caper in the $150,000 Soaring Free Stakes and Bound to Be True in the $150,000 Catch a Glimpse. Both are 6 1/2-furlong main-turf sprints that serve as preps for the Grade 1 Summer and Grade 1 Natalma.

Cairo Caper ran third when debuting on the Tapeta before graduating in a six-furlong maiden special on the grass over next-out winner Kokomo.

“He acted up in the gate and got hemmed in on the inside in his first start,” Squires said. “When he saw daylight, he came running and galloped out well. Cairo Prince gets runners on any surface, so we tried the turf and it worked out. He won well, and it was a good time. I don’t think he moved up on the turf. I think he’s equally as good on the synthetic. When Kokomo came back to win, that was encouraging.”

Trainer Mark Casse sends out contenders Mensa and Dream On in the nine-horse Soaring Free.

A son of hot freshman sire Complexity, Mensa is experimenting on the grass off an authoritative score in the 5 1/2-furlong Victoria Stakes.

“Patrick Husbands breezed him on the grass and was very pleased with him,” Casse noted. “Complexity has already had a stakes winner in Europe on the grass. They can do about anything.”

Dream On graduated second time out when switching from dirt to turf at Ellis Park.

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“I like him a lot,” Casse said. “I thought he ran better than the [56 Beyer Speed Figure] indicates. That was a pretty good race. The horse he beat came back and won.”

The unbeaten Casse charge Bullet should be favored in the 13-horse Catch a Glimpse with Husbands aboard.

Bullet closed stoutly from seventh to win her debut on turf at Gulfstream going away before another easy victory in the My Dear Stakes here on Tapeta.

“She still needs to run a few more times, but she could be a superstar,” Casse said. “I thought her race at Gulfstream was unbelievable. She got away bad and was able to overcome it.”

Casse also runs Will Reign and maiden Shifty. From the first crop of Preakness victor War of Will, Will Reign was a fast-closing second to her stablemate in her lone outing in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special on the Saratoga turf.

“I thought she was pretty impressive,” Casse said. “She could have easily won that day. We won the race, and that filly” – Abientot – “is running back in a stakes at Saratoga.”

Trainer Kevin Attard sends out Salt, who graduated at second asking in a six-furlong maiden special on the local lawn.

“She’s figuring things out,” Attard said. “I think the farther she goes, the better she’ll be. I think she’s going to be a decent turf filly.”

Bound to Be True has the look of a live longshot. After romping on debut, she was a troubled sixth in the 5 1/2-furlong My Dear.

“She got unsettled before the race and had a horrible trip,” Squires said. “She’s bred for the turf and the longer distance should suit her, so we’ll see what happens. We’re going to follow the same path as Cairo Consort and hope it works out.”

Graham Motion entered Warming in the Catch a Glimpse and Test Score in the Soaring Free. Larry Rivelli has the unbeaten dirt runner Shezafunkydrummer in the Catch a Glimpse and Homie in the Soaring Free. Both trainers have had their share of success at Woodbine.

Bold Venture

I’m A Gambler took to the Tapeta nicely when notching his second local start in allowance company with a 97 Beyer. He moves up to Grade 3 stakes company in Saturday’s $150,000 Bold Venture.

“He’d worked well on the Tapeta and we were looking forward to [racing] him on it,” Attard said. “He was professional and won pretty easy. This is a big step up in class, but he’s doing well.”

Reigning Canadian champion male sprinter Patches O’Houlihan and unbeaten Playmea Tune are the obvious protagonists in the 6 1/2-furlong event.

The Robert Tiller-trained Patches O’Houlihan took last year’s Bold Venture along with the Grade 3 Vigil. He missed some training in the spring due to a bruised heel but ran a hole in the wind in his July 28 season opener in the Pink Lloyd Stakes, scoring by six lengths with a whopping 103 Beyer. In a seven-horse field with other speed, he could be seen as a bounce candidate.

A 4-year-old trained by Josie Carroll, Playmea Tune won both of his races convincingly here this year, against maidens and allowance types, with Beyers of 96 and 95.

Casse entered Capture the Lion and First Empire, who finished fourth and fifth, respectively, last out in the Grade 2 Connaught Cup on turf.

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