Never Silent will have her say in Victorian Queen

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Never Silent heads a salty field of fillies in Sunday’s $100,000 Victorian Queen at Woodbine, one of two seven-furlong turf stakes for Ontario-sired juveniles, along with the Bull Page for the boys.

Never Silent bypassed last weekend’s Grade 1 Natalma in favor of this easier spot. She had a wide trip when closing for third in the prep for the Natalma, the 6 1/2-furlong Catch a Glimpse Stakes, for which she got an 80 Beyer Speed Figure.

Never Silent dominated maidens by 5 1/2 lengths on the Tapeta in her only other outing on July 15 under Rafael Hernandez, who will ride her again for trainer Catherine Day Phillips.

The other contenders in the six-horse field are Hurricane Clair, Olivia Rose, and Fourfiftyfour.

Hurricane Clair was supplemented by trainer Marty Drexler off a maiden-winning score in the restricted Muskoka Stakes, during which she rallied from well back to win going away after clipping heels and stumbling at the break.

“I thought she would have been a little closer, but she got into a little bit of a mess at the beginning,” Drexler said. “I think that cost her a little bit of position. It worked out fine. She’s pretty professional.”

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Olivia Rose wired Ontario-sired maidens by 13 3/4 lengths with a 75 Beyer in her third and most recent outing on the Tapeta for trainer Mark Casse.

Fourfiftyfour notched her debut on the Tapeta before finishing far back in eighth after a troubled trip in the Catch a Glimpse. Lasix is being added by trainer Barbara Minshall.

Meko Makee should be favored among a group of six in the $100,000 Bull Page.

Trained by Bill Tharrenos, Meko Makee made both of his starts against Ontario-sired/$40,000 maidens on the Tapeta. After a slow beginning, he raced quite wide and ended up third at first asking on July 29.

“He missed the break, but he recovered nicely and went on to run a very nice race,” Tharrenos recalled. “We were expecting him to run well, and he did.”

Three weeks later, Meko Makee rode a live rail to a front-running six-length score, putting up a 79 Beyer in the 5 1/2-furlong event.

“He got away well and just went on from there,” Tharrenos said. “He was focused throughout the race and came home strong. We were happy to get the win, but even happier with the way he did it.”

Meko Makee is a son of Grade 2 turf stakes winner Hyper, who was second to Joshua Tree in the 2013 Canadian International. He has recorded a trio of five-furlong breezes on the turf training track leading up to the Bull Page, going in a bullet 59.20 seconds on Sept. 17.

“He’s worked really well on the grass and he’s coming into the race in great shape,” Tharrenos said. “He’s just a nice all-round horse.”

Meko Makee starts from the rail post under regular rider Omar Moreno.

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