Twisted Wit drops to winning level

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Twisted Wit lost all chance when he blew the break in his first start of the year. He will get some significant class relief in Sunday's Woodbine feature, and could be the controlling speed in the 6 1/2-furlong event, which goes as race 3 on the card.

Twisted Wit returned from a winter layoff in the April 14 Jacques Cartier, and got away slowly and gave his rivals about a three-length head-start. He never regrouped, and wound up nearly 25 lengths behind the runaway winner, Stradivinsky.

Twisted Wit won 2 of his 6 starts on Polytrack last year, including the restricted Kenora Stakes, for which he received a 92 Beyer Speed Figure. He won at the level of Sunday's race - a third-level allowance with an $80,000 optional claiming condition - on Nov. 25 under apprentice Tyler Pizarro, who has the mount again Sunday.

Twisted Wit's trainer, Bob Tiller, led the standings heading into the weekend, with 8 wins from 30 starters.

Trainer Sid Attard entered two veterans, Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk and High Volt Jolt, who will form an entry.

Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk, originally trained by Tiller, won 2 of 10 starts and well over $100,000 in 2006 and 2005. He capped last year's campaign by winning two consecutive Polytrack sprints, against $50,000 and $62,500 opposition.

High Volt Jolt finished third behind champion sprinter Judiths Wild Rush in the 2006 Jacques Cartier. He won two optional claiming routes in the fall, including one at Sunday's level.

Attard, Woodbine's leading trainer from 2004-06, has scored with 22 percent of his 61- to 180-day layoff runners over the past five years.

The seven-horse field has three intriguing entrants - Cold War, Albarino, and Acoustic Shadow.

Cold War was named Fort Erie's horse of the year in 2006 on the strength of his 10 victories, which was the second-highest win total among all horses in North America.

Cold War launched his 2006 campaign by running seventh in a $4,000 conditioned claimer at Fort Erie. He beat High Volt Jolt when taking an $80,000 optional race here in October, and has done his optimum running around two turns.

Albarino bagged four stakes in 2005 at Assiniboia Downs, including the 1 1/8-mile Gold Breeders' Cup. He began his career here in 2003, and won his maiden in his eighth start, in July 2004, after which he shipped west and ran fourth in the Manitoba Derby.

Acoustic Shadow is the lone 3-year-old in the lineup. He romped in the allowance prep for the Display Stakes Nov. 4 and was a troubled second in the Display itself.