Woodbine: Best Gift of All brings decent Florida form to Wednesday feature

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Best Gift of All drops in class Wednesday night at Woodbine in the fourth race and should be favored in the nonwinners-of-two allowance for Ontario-sired females, which is scheduled for a mile on the grass.

Best Gift of All started three times at Gulfstream over the winter, all for trainer Katerina Vassilieva, including a 35-length drubbing in an optional claimer on the dirt Feb. 14. Best Gift of All missed the board in two subsequent Gulfstream allowances on the grass, but they weren’t awful efforts. She raced three wide in both races and wound up seventh and sixth, while earning Beyer Figures in the mid 70s. The third- and fourth-place finishers from her last outing March 30 both came back to score in optional-claiming company at Calder.

Luis Contreras has the mount on Best Gift of All, a 5-year-old homebred owned by Spirit Winds Stable.

Leading trainer Mark Casse sends out the Gary Barber-owned entry of Cautious and Nahima in the fourth. Both are experimenting on the grass, and Justin Stein was named on both.

Cautious didn’t show much last year at 2, but is exiting a maiden victory going long in her seasonal bow. A daughter of Survivalist, Cautious is out of a mare who’s produced just one turf winner from six starters.

Nahima graduated on a synthetic surface last August in France in her second start before checking in fifth here in the Oct. 28 Princess Elizabeth Stakes. Her best of three performances this year was a runner-up placing to favored Strut the Course in a seven-furlong allowance May 5. A daughter of Tomahawk, Nahima is out of a minor stakes winner in France.

Teresa’s Pride ran decently on the grass last July before getting some time off because of bone bruising. She blossomed in the fall, when she won a maiden race and ran second in an allowance on the Polytrack. She finished fourth and eighth in two shorter allowances on the Polytrack this spring. Teresa’s Pride is a half-sister to a pair of grass winners.

Firewithdesire finished fourth in both of her races since earning her diploma, including in the Nov. 18 South Ocean Stakes. A daughter of Old Forester, Firewithdesire is a half-sister to two grass winners, most notably champion Pender Harbour, who captured the Breeders’ Stakes.

Honors Best came up empty for $40,000 in her season opener on the grass, over which she has a solid record.

Kiche’s Spirit, a full sister to Woodbine Oaks winner Nipissing, is returning from a one-year absence. She graduated over a mile on the turf here in May 2012.