Stonetown facing tougher foes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Stonetown, an up-and-comer in Woodbine's older male ranks, will tackle Ontario-sired stakes company going seven furlongs Wednesday night in the $125,000 Overskate.

Stonetown graduated over $40,000 maidens second time out last fall, before going to the sidelines for the remainder of the year. Trainer Abraham Katryan said the 4-year-old underwent surgery after his final 2006 appearance.

"We took a chip out of his knee last September," Katryan said.

Stonetown was victorious in each of his last four races, the first two of which were in Ontario-sired allowance company. He captured an open first-level allowance at seven furlongs in his penultimate start and was a front-running winner of the Elgin Stakes in his two-turn debut Sept. 3.

The Elgin was one of two stakes for graduates of local yearling sales in which Stonetown was entered Sept. 3. Katryan said he decided to run him there instead of the six-furlong Kenora because of the distance.

"At that point in time, I thought he might be better off going a mile and a sixteenth than cutting back to three-quarters," Katryan said. "He's ready to go back to seven-eighths now. I think it's an ideal distance for him."

Katryan doesn't believe Stonetown needs the lead in order to be effective.

"He's very versatile," Katryan said. "He can stalk or go to the lead."

Trainer Radlie Loney entered the half-brothers Main Executive and Cool Selection, who ran one-two in the Aug. 5 Shepperton Stakes.

Main Executive was returning from a seven-week break in the 6 1/2-furlong Shepperton and dueled through slow splits with Cool Selection en route to a neck victory.

"He missed seven days of training with a pus pocket in his foot before the Shepperton," Loney said. "He's trained like a bear since then. He's coming into this race in his best shape. If he gets beat, he won't have any excuses. The seven-eighths won't be a problem."

Loney said Stonetown will be hard-pressed to get by the rapid Main Executive, who was the runner-up in the voting for last year's Canadian champion sprinter.

"Stonetown has never run with the likes of Main Executive," Loney said. "If he looks him in the eye, he might not want any part of him."

Cool Selection is having a career year at 8, going from a low-level claimers to stakes.

"He's going to take a run at his brother," Loney said. "I would love to beat 'Main' with him."