Woodbine handicapping roundup: Week of Dec. 14

Valedictory preview

At 1 3/4 miles, Sunday’s closing day $150,000 Valedictory is the longest stakes of the meet, and stamina is obviously important in the Grade 3 marathon.

American shippers have won three of the six runnings of the Valedictory that were on Polytrack, all since 2006 (the 2008 Valedictory wasn’t run due to a weather-related cancellation). The Maryland-based Eagle Poise prevailed after a thrilling stretch battle with Harrods Creek in 2011. Eagle Poise could be favored on Sunday off his close second in the 1 1/2-mile Sycamore Stakes over Keeneland’s Polytrack.

Robert Landry captured the Valedictory twice as a rider. He also won last year’s edition as the general manager for Chiefswood Stable, the owner of Heathcote, who went coast-to-coast in the race in a dominating 12-length triumph.

“Obviously, the key to running far is that horses have to relax,” Landry said. “You don’t see too many [long-distance experts] who are pulling you out of the tack early, and then pulling you out of the tack late. When you have to fight them to relax, it takes too much out of them.”

Chiefswood’s horse Awesome Overture will be making his first start beyond 10 furlongs on Sunday, off a sixth-place finish in the Grade 2 Autumn, one of the toughest stakes run this year here.

“The distance might be a question for him,” Landry said. “He does have tactical speed, and he does have stamina. He’ll run on, even after his races when he gets beat. He gallops out well. It’s not like he’s done. He has half-decent cruising speed.”

Reade Baker, Woodbine’s hottest stakes trainer this fall, will saddle Turkish, who got nailed on the wire by Quaesitor after setting a pedestrian pace in the 13-furlong allowance prep for the Valedictory.

“He’s great going that distance, but he doesn’t have a little kick,” Baker said. “He’s certainly one-paced. He’s a big, sound, healthy horse who will go as far as they write races. But when you pounce on him like the other day, he can’t give you [the needed] response.”

Cool Faith passes Lassie

Chiefswood’s horse Cool Faith, one of the leading 2-year-old fillies here this year, passed Saturday’s $150,000 Ontario Lassie Stakes after missing a work last weekend due to the track. Her connections are eyeing the $100,000 Ginger Brew Stakes on the grass at Gulfstream in January for her.

“We think she’s a pretty nice filly,” said Chiefswood’s Rob Landry. “She showed us she had ability right from the get-go. She’s run well on the grass, but she’s worked well on every surface. She has too much residual value as a broodmare to take a chance.”

Cool Faith graduated at first asking going long in late September, and then suffered a heartbreaking nose loss in the Oct. 20 Cup and Saucer Stakes, which was also against the boys on the grass. A daughter of deceased Pulpit and Grade 2 stakes winner Ambitious Cat, Cool Faith is trained by Paul Attard.

Track trends

Dec. 6 — This was the second consecutive Friday on which the inside paths were preferred. Horses who ran well during an outside trip included A. A. Grenade, Track ‘Em Down, Around We Go, Mercenary, B Vexed, Silent Blessing, and Strawberry Scarlet, who nailed the front-runner It’s Candy Time on the wire to take the seventh, a seven-furlong race for $12,500 claimers.

Dec. 8 — The inside lanes were preferred on a track with considerable kickback. Perhaps the bias was most pronounced in the $134,250 Display Stakes, in which the pacemakers Jose Sea View and Coltimus Prime ran one-two after setting relatively slow fractions. Man Cave, Danzig Storm, Downey Gap, and Bear’s Cowboy all raced wide in the Display, in which Bear’s Cowboy had a troubled beginning. Other outside runners on the card worth following in the future include Jade Dragon, Countryman, On Top of the Bay, Johnny La Rue, Lions Bay, Extremist, Silent Streak, and Cloudwatcher.