We Miss Artie runs himself into Plate favoritism

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Even though he ran about a second slower in the Plate Trial Saturday than Lexie Lou’s good clocking of 1:49.77 in the Woodbine Oaks the same day, the Todd Pletcher-trained We Miss Artie should go favored in the Queen’s Plate. The winner of the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland last year, We Miss Artie is 3 for 3 on Polytrack.

In his first start since a 10th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, We Miss Artie was boxed in along the inside on the far turn of the Plate Trial before mowing down Majestic Sunset in the stretch to win by three-quarters of a length. With the Plate as We Miss Artie’s main objective, jockey Javier Castellano said he schooled the big colt after they hit the front and geared him down in the final strides.

We Miss Artie received an 82 Beyer, while Lexie Lou earned a 92.

Biamonte wins 4th Bold Ruckus

Trainer Ralph Biamonte won the $125,400 Bold Ruckus Stakes for the fourth time Saturday. Biamonte won with the speedy Flashy Margaritta, who is a half-brother to his 2011 winner, Citius.

Flashy Margaritta set moderate fractions under Husbands before holding off Spin the King, who raced greenly in the stretch. Both were competing on turf for the first time, and Biamonte said he had expected Flashy Margaritta to acquit himself well.

“He had worked really good on the turf,” Biamonte said. “I didn’t know if he’d win it because I didn’t know how good the others were.”

Biamonte unveiled a fast 2-year-old filly Saturday in Unhindered, a daughter of Stormy Atlantic who won a 4 1/2-furlong maiden special by five lengths under a hand ride. He plans on running her back here June 28 in the $125,000 My Dear Stakes.

“She’s small, but she’s very athletic,” Biamonte said.

◗ Trainer Mark Casse sent out seven of the 12 3-year-old fillies in Sunday’s $138,000 Alywow Stakes, but the Vito Armata-trained Cristina’s Halo rained on his parade by registering a 33-1 upset in the turf sprint. Jockey Chantal Sutherland-Kruse said Cristina’s Halo had worked nicely over the turf training course, and she transferred that ability to the main turf in the Alywow. It was Armata’s first stakes win in 4 1/2 years.

◗ Checkered Past notched her first stakes win in Saturday’s $112,600 Trillium, and trainer Malcolm Pierce said she could run back in the Grade 3 Ontario Matron here July 26.
“It’s nice to have a horse in my barn who likes the Polytrack,” Pierce, known for his turf runners, said with a laugh.

◗ Awesome Eclipse captured the allowance prep for the July 6 Highlander Stakes at a whopping 41-1 last Friday and could run back in that Grade 2 turf sprint, according to owner Gail Proteau.