War Bomber, Wyoming Bill square off in rescheduled sprint
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario – War Bomber continues along the comeback trail in Friday’s Woodbine feature. The multiple stakes winner seems ready to fire one of his better shots in the seven-furlong conditioned allowance with a $50,000 claiming option.
Trainer Norm McKnight claimed War Bomber for a bargain $25,000 on behalf of owner Bruno Schickedanz on Aug. 21, 2021. Three weeks later, the son of War Front beat 3-year-olds in the Toronto Cup on the grass. This was the first of three stakes scores, along with the Grade 3 Seagram Cup in 2022 and the Grade 2 King Edward in 2023.
War Bomber posted two narrow losses last year in a pair Grade 2 turf stakes, the Connaught Cup and King Edward. He then went to the sidelines for 11 months after running third behind Nobals and Patches O’Houlihan in the Grade 2 Kennedy Road in November.
When returning to action in another seven-furlong Tapeta sprint at this level Oct. 19, War Bomber tracked a slow pace on the outside over a rail-biased track before weakening to third. With that tightener under his belt, he should be dangerous with leading rider Rafael Hernandez breaking him from the outside post 6.
Wyoming Bill was scratched from last Saturday’s Grade 3 Autumn in favor of this much less daunting task. The turf specialist rallied for second behind the good Gas Me Up in the King Edward in August. That stakes was a prep for the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile, in which he faded to eighth behind the imposing favorite Notable Speech, who subsequently won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar.
Wyoming Bill wasn’t a factor most recently in a second-level allowance at Keeneland, and he was beaten a nose in a seven-furlong allowance the last time he raced on Woodbine’s Tapeta in May. Emma-Jayne Wilson will ride the son of Curlin for trainer Catherine Day-Phillips.
Rounding out the eighth-race field are Summer Commander, Blazing Bucchero, The Great Oz, and Hanlan, who wasn’t in the lineup when this race was originally carded for last Sunday, when racing was canceled due to inclement weather.
Summer Commander reached full bloom this summer when winning an Ontario-sired allowance and an open allowance, races that sandwiched a second in the Elgin Stakes for yearling sales alums. He failed to flash his customary speed on Oct. 19 during a wide trip over a rail-favoring race at this level, finishing a non-threatening fifth.
Blazing Bucchero checked in just behind Summer Commander in sixth after a rail run and a slow start on Oct. 19. He cleared the nonwinners-of-two allowance condition the time before as the favorite.
The Great Oz won two of his last three outings, both with a claiming tag in allowance company. The 7-year-old has tactical speed and could lead the way in the manner of his Oct. 19 triumph, a race that was taken off the turf.
Post time for the expanded 10-race card is 4:30 p.m.
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