Stakes-placed fillies look best at Woodbine

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Stakes-placed fillies Red Satin Slippers and Skipping Stone should garner the bulk of the betting action in Wednesday's second race at Woodbine, a preliminary allowance on the grass.

Red Satin Slippers lost a nail-biter going about 1 1/8 miles at this condition Aug. 18, and is coming off a respectable third behind Free Vacation in the 1 1/2-mile Flaming Page Handicap. Emile Ramsammy rides for trainer Laurie Silvera.

Skipping Stone raced wide throughout the Aug. 26 Ontario Colleen Handicap before mounting a steady rally to finish in third. She was also third in each of her two previous outings at this level for trainer Mark Frostad, who has enlisted Robert Landry for the mount. Also set to run about 1 1/4 miles in Wednesday's feature are Regal Snicker, Bonnie's Prize, Fantastic Allie, Mossy Moor, Ritual Silence and Hot Salt. Drax Hall and Langano were entered for the main track only.

No rust on Win City

Win City could have been excused if he had been a little rusty when making his first start in almost eight weeks here in last Saturday's Colonel R.S. McLaughlin Handicap.

But Win City, owned by Frank DiGiulio Jr. and trained by Bob Tiller, was sharp enough to record his fifth stakes win of the season in the 1 1/8-mile handicap for 3-year-olds.

"I was worried about him being fit enough," said Tiller, "but he produced, again."

The McLaughlin had been pegged as Win City's prep for the $300,000 Ohio Derby, a Grade 2, 1 1/8-mile race at Thistledown Sept. 29.

But Tiller, reached at the Keeneland sales Monday, said Win City also could stay here for the Oct. 7 Durham Cup, a Grade 3, 1 1/8 mile race for 3-year-olds and upward which offers a purse of $150,000.

If Win City opts for the Durham Cup, then he could face a formidable opponent, Kiss a Native, who won both the McLaughlin and Durham Cup last year en route to being voted Canada's champion 3-year-old male.

Kiss a Native, a Florida-bred owned by John Franks and trained by David Bell, won last Saturday's Durham Cup prep in just his second start of the season.

Stronach Stables still on a roll

Moonlight Affair continued the amazing recent run of success for Stronach Stables, taking last Sunday's La Prevoyante Stakes.

Team Stronach captured both the Canadian and Summer while winning four races here Sept. 9 and have continued to churn out the winners both here and at Fort Erie.

Moonlight Affair, Ontario-sired but Kentucky-bred, has several stakes options here next month in the Oct. 14 La Lorgnette, a 1 1/16 mile race for 3-year-old fillies; the Oct. 17 Deputy Minister, a seven-furlong race for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds; and the Oct. 20 Bunty Lawless, a one-mile turf race for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds and upward.

Two get in turf works for Grade 1's

Strut the Stage and Only to You both breezed six furlongs under jockey Todd Kabel on the turf training course here Sunday with an eye toward their Grade 1 engagements here Sept. 30.

Strut the Stage, clocked in 1:11.80, is headed for the $1.5 million Canadian International, while Only to You, who went in 1:12.60, is bound for the $500,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes.

Soundtrack also worked over the firm turf, getting seven furlongs in 1:28.60 in preparation for the Wonder Where Stakes here Sept. 29.

Ginger Gold victory under appeal

Ginger Gold was a winner debuting for owner Mel Lawson's Jim Dandy Stable in the Shady Well here July 8, but Mark Casse, trainer of both runner-up Western Resolve and last-place finisher Tricksand, appealed the result. The stewards had held an inquiry into possible interference by Ginger Gold at the start but had ruled there were no infractions.

The Ontario Racing Industry Board of Appeal, which meets here at Woodbine, denied the appeal but Casse now has appealed that decision to the Ontario Racing Commission, which will hear the case at its Toronto offices Oct. 21.

In the meantime, trainer Sid Attard is pointing Ginger Gold for the $250,000 Princess Elizabeth, a 1 1/16-mile race for Canadian-bred 2-year-old fillies here Oct. 13.

*Jockeys Gary Boulanger and Dino Luciani will be sitting out three-day suspensions, Wednesday through Friday.

- additional reporting by Ron Gierkink