Woodbine Harness: Idyllic Beach, Caviart Ally deliver in Three Diamonds eliminations
Public choices Idyllic Beach and Caviart Ally did not disappoint in the pair of C$25,000 Three Diamonds eliminations for 2-year-old pacing fillies that were staged on Friday night at Woodbine Racetrack.
In the first elimination, Breeders Crown champion Someomensomewhere (Marcus Miller) led to the opening quarter in just 29 3/5, with Idyllic Beach (Yannick Gingras) coming first-over out of third past that marker. Someomensomewhere didn't immediately release the outside challenger, but they were still going slow, with Idyllic Beach taking over just before the 58 second half. A 1:28 3/5 three-quarters followed, setting the stage for a sprint to the finish, which Idyllic Beach won, holding off Someomensomewhere by a neck on the wire in a 1:55 3/5 mile. Bettors Up (Tim Tetrick) came in third, followed by Rockette (Matt Kakaley) and Obvious Blue Chip (James MacDonald).
"It's really not what I wanted; she's due for a nice come-from-behind trip," Gingras said in the winner's circle. "The first eighth was pretty slow, and the second eighth was even slower, so I had no choice but to go to the front. She had plenty of pace, obviously, off those slow fractions coming home, and she did it easy."
Jimmy Takter trains the winner, a filly by Somebeachsomewhere, for owners Christina Takter, John Fielding, Brixton Medical Inc., and Marvin Katz. Taken out of the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale for $100,000, Idyllic Beach is the first foal out of Idyllic, who earned just shy of $1.3 million in her career. Idyllic Beach, who has now won eight times from 13 starts and earned C$632,962, paid $4.20 to win as the even-money favorite.
The second elimination was pretty much a carbon-copy of the first one for the first three-quarters, with Happy Hannah (MacDonald) putting the first quarter on the board in 28 1/5 before Candlelight Dinner (Jonathan Drury) moved out of third to grab control well before the half flashed on the board in 58 seconds. Candlelight Dinner continued to show the way at the 1:26 4/5 three-quarters, but Caviart Ally (Andrew McCarthy) was in the first-over position out of fourth and had begun to advance.
In the stretch Candlelight Dinner looked to kick on and put away the field, but Caviart Ally just kept coming on the outside, and she would go by inside the final sixteenth, winning by three-quarters of a length over a closing That's The Ticket (Tetrick) in 1:54 3/5. Candlelight Dinner wound up third, ahead of Black Jack Pat (Jody Jamieson) and Happy Hannah.
"I didn't want to have to move her since he just raced last Saturday, and it ended up working out all right," said McCarthy. "She's just run into some really good fillies this year. She's been pretty much tripped out her whole 2-year-old season, so she's fresh enough, and she's getting good at the right time."
Caviart Ally is a Bettor's Delight filly trained by Noel Daley for owner Caviart Farms. She has two wins (and six seconds) from 13 efforts in her rookie campaign, and she has now banked C$113,729. A $35,000 Standardbred Horse Sale buy, Caviart Ally is the 11th foal out of the No Nukes mare Allamerican Cool, making her a half-sister to the likes of All Speed Hanover (Cam's Card Shark, $819,712). Dispatched at 7-5, Caviart Ally returned $4.90 to win.
Here's how the field will line up for next Saturday night's C$427,000 final:
1-Someomensomewhere
2-Bettors Up
3-Idyllic Beach
4-Caviart Ally
5-Candlelight Dinner
6-That's The Ticket
7-Rockette
8-Black Jack Pat
9-Obvious Blue Chip
10-Happy Hannah