Western Whirl on top of his game for Kennedy Road Stakes
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The speedy Western Whirl has blossomed this year for trainer Stuart Simon and could land his first stakes in Saturday’s Grade 2, $175,000 Kennedy Road at Woodbine.
Western Whirl won a first-level allowance as a first-time gelding off a six-month layoff when negotiating the six-furlong distance of the Kennedy Road on June 8.
Western Whirl cleared the second allowance condition in his penultimate outing going 6 1/2 furlongs. The 4-year-old switched to the inner turf most recently for the Grade 2 Nearctic. After putting away the heavily favored Bring Theband Home up front, he gave way grudgingly and finished a close third. He will return to Tapeta in the Kennedy Road.
Simon feels there are several reasons for Western Whirl’s improvement.
“I think it was a combination of the gelding and he’s late-maturing, in mind and body,” Simon said. “He’s a big horse who never really had it all together until this year. His training’s been a lot different. He never really used to put a lot into his training, and now he does. He’s just a different horse with a different mindset.”
Simon believes Western Whirl is equally adept on turf or Tapeta and was pleasantly surprised when the son of Twirling Candy handled the cutback to five furlongs in the Nearctic.
“I didn’t quite know if he wanted to go that short, but he did,” Simon said. “He’s a five-eighths to a six-and-a-half type of horse. He might get seven-eighths with the right horses and the right setup.”
Fraser Aebly will ride Western Whirl again for owner-breeder Chiefswood Stables, which also campaigns the leading local sprinter Simcoe, who bypassed the Kennedy Road.
Chicago-based Nobals should be favored in his quest to win the Kennedy Road for the second year in a row.
Victorious in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, Nobals upset Canadian champion male sprinter Patches O’Houlihan in the last year’s Kennedy Road, earning a 100 Beyer Speed Figure in a front-running score.
Nobals has one win to his credit from seven starts this year. The 6-year-old went back on Lasix when returning here for the Oct. 4 Nearctic and finished a close second to No Nay Hudson after an outside-stalking trip.
“It was another big effort from him,” trainer Larrry Rivelli said. “He’s just an incredible horse who shows up every time and gives it every single thing he’s got. He can run on turf and synthetic, which is nice to have in a horse.”
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Nobals is drawn just inside Western Whirl in post 1 with Rafael Hernandez retaining the mount.
Completing the Kennedy Road lineup are Lucky Score, Awesome Bourbon, Reload’s Rascal, and Society’s Thunder.
Lucky Score, a stretch-runner trained by Mark Casse, will go over $1 million in Canadian earnings regardless of where he finishes. The two-time graded stakes winner had a fast pace to chase last time out when winning a conditioned allowance/optional claimer going away with 99 Beyer.
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