Woodbine: Former claimer Consolidator Joe goes for 13th career win

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The popular Consolidator Joe is one of those rare geldings who has won more races than he’s lost. The 5-year-old aims for his 13th career score Friday at Woodbine in the third race, a seven-furlong starter allowance for horses who competed for $40,000 or less in 2012-13.

Consolidator Joe was claimed for a mere $25,000 from his 12th start in September of last year. Since then, he has won 5 of 10 outings for trainer Ross Armata.

Consolidator Joe turned heads when he broke Woodbine’s 6 1/2-furlong Polytrack record while capturing an optional claimer with a 100 Beyer Speed Figure on May 12. Following a break, he wound up fourth behind reigning Canadian champion sprinter Essence Hit Man and Dimension in the Grade 3 Bold Venture Stakes on July 17.

Consolidator Joe earned a 94 Beyer when he nosed out Dan the Tin Man for the win in a 6 1/2-furlong allowance Aug. 2. He has been idle since Aug. 28, when he ran evenly for third over a speed-favoring track in the Kenora, a six-furlong stakes for graduates of local yearling sales.

Luis Contreras will ride Consolidator Joe, the 126-pound highweight in the five-horse field.

Executive Five performed well in each of his two most recent excursions, both against $50,000 claimers. He was second behind a sharp Lucky Lotto on Aug. 18 and then showed that he could handle the grass with a closing third-place finish two weeks later.

Executive Five was once a successful front-runner, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him inherit the lead here if Consolidator Joe isn’t sent from the outset. Apprentice Skye Chernetz will get a leg up from trainer Austen Katryan on the 5-year-old.

Jomelo was mired in a slump while competing predominantly in sprints prior to his last outing in a $32,000 route Sept. 7. After racing in fifth early, he circled wide into contention on the far turn and kept on going to prevail by 3 1/2 lengths.

Apprentice Sheena Ryan has the call on the Sid Attard-trained Jomelo, who is owned by Woodbine bigwig Jim Lawson.

Thor’s Piper has done the bulk of his damage around two turns, although he wasn’t beaten far in either of his two seven-furlong tries. He was hard-ridden by Steve Bahen when second in a slow-placed optional claimer going 1 1/16 miles Aug. 25.

Rounding out the field is Octavo, who rallied along the rail for second in a recent six-furlong dash for $25,000 claimers. Mallory Strandberg, another female apprentice, retains the mount on the 6-year-old.