Very little turf form to consider

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Legal Move, a grandson of legendary Canadian sire Bold Ruckus, will make his seasonal debut in the $125,000 Bold Ruckus Stakes on Wednesday night at Woodbine.

The six-furlong turf sprint has drawn eight other Ontario-sired 3-year-olds, and is the third leg of the pick seven, which has a carryover of $9,838.

Legal Move won his maiden fourth time out at 2, in the 6 1/2-furlong Simcoe, a stakes for graduates of local yearling sales. He subsequently captured the six-furlong Bull Page Stakes with ease over Dancer's Bajan, but then lost the seven-furlong Frost King Stakes to that rival by a nose.

In his final 2-year-old appearance, going 1 1/16 miles in the Kingarvie Stakes, Legal Move set a slow pace before giving way in deep stretch, and finished a close third behind Dancer's Bajan and D Bold Ruler.

"He had surgery after his last race," said trainer Mark Casse. "We took a little chip out of his ankle and his knee, I believe."

Legal Move's lone grass start was a narrow loss in a six-furlong maiden special in his third start last August.

"It was a pretty good race," Casse recalled.

Casse said he was content with Legal Move's half-mile work in a bullet 47.40 seconds on the Polytrack last Thursday.

"Coming off the longer races, I wanted to put some speed into him, so I popped him out of the gate," Casse said. "He went really well. He's ready to go. This is a good spot for him to come back in."

All the others are trying the grass for the first time, including Limosano, Spread the News, Catsimile, and Backgammon.

Limosano came from far back to end up second behind favored Catsimile in his season opener in a five-furlong allowance. Stretched out to seven furlongs last time in the Queenston Stakes, he finished fourth behind a sharp Jiggs Coz.

Trainer Mike DePaulo said Limosano has some turf breeding on the dam's side of his family tree.

"He's out of a Singspiel mare, and his second dam is by Danzig," DePaulo said. "We're hoping that his pedigree comes through."

Spread the News and Catsimile are both front-runners by Cat's at Home, a graded stakes winner on the dirt.

Spread the News won the restricted Clarendon Stakes at five furlongs on the inner dirt track last July.

Backgammon is a full brother to last year's Bold Ruckus winner, Tothemoonandback.