Thundering hopes to shake things up in King Corrie Stakes
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario – With a race under his girth that followed a winter layoff, Thundering should make some noise in Sunday’s $100,000 King Corrie Stakes for 3-year-olds at Woodbine.
Thundering graduated in a big way second time out at 2 last October, taking the $125,000 Display Stakes over the seven-furlong distance of the King Corrie. When stretching out to a route in the Grade 3 Grey in November, he finished a belated fourth behind three salty rivals.
Thundering checked in a non-threatening seventh in his April 27 season opener, the six-furlong Woodstock Stakes, a subpar race that surprised trainer Patrick Dixon.
“I thought that he was fitter than he was because he was winter-trained in Florida,” Dixon said. “I think I was a little bit caught off guard with that. He definitely does not want to go six furlongs. He only got going a sixteenth before the wire and galloped out great. We were happy with that. He’s come back to have a beautiful workout.”
Thundering breezed a half-mile in 47.20 seconds on May 10, which ranked 10th of 129 workers at the distance. Eswan Flores retains the mount on the Maryland-bred gelding.
It will be take two for Church and State on Sunday after he was a vet scratch from the Woodstock.
“He came up with a little virus before the Woodstock, so we had to skip it,” trainer Dale Desruisseaux said.
Church and State breezed five-eighths in 1:00.80 on May 10, to his trainer’s satisfaction.
“He breezed well on the weekend and we’re on track for Sunday,” Desruisseaux said. “We’re looking forward to it, and hopefully he can come up with another strong performance.”
Church and State won his first two races at 2, a seven-furlong maiden special weight and a mile and 70-yard allowance. The Kentucky-bred was a distant fourth the last time he saw action in the one-mile Leonatus Stakes at Turfway Park in January.
“The weather wasn’t great [in Kentucky] and we missed a lot of training, spending about two weeks in the barn,” Desruisseaux recalled. “Right before they got back to racing, they cultivated the track, and it was a deep surface. He was very tired after the race. I just don’t think he handled the track that day.”
Incoming graduated in his second start against $50,000 maidens at Gulfstream Park on March 14. He was promoted from fourth to third in the Woodstock after getting bumped at the top of the stretch and has since breezed a half-mile in 47.60 seconds for trainer Gail Cox.
Graffiti Writer changed trainers following a sale after earning his diploma on the Tampa Bay Downs turf March 29, going from Chad Brown to Steve Chircop.
The Josie Carroll-trained fillies Madame Obey and Hibiscus are cross-entered in Saturday’s Ruling Angel Stakes.
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