Woodbine: Heavenly Pride has recency edge in feature race

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Heavenly Pride isn’t the best horse in Friday’s Woodbine headliner, but the fact that she has a recent race under her girth counts for something, and she should be a factor in the second-level allowance, with a $62,500-claiming option.

Heavenly Pride took 2 of 10 starts last year, including a first-level allowance race here on Polytrack. One of her better performances was a fifth-place finish in the open Duchess Stakes.

Heavenly Pride, who wintered at Calder with trainer Mike McDonald, was victorious in a five-furlong conditioned claimer on the grass at Gulfstream in early January. Most recently, following a freshening, she checked in sixth in another turf sprint at Gulfstream after a troubled break against optional-claiming company.

Emma Wilson will ride Heavenly Pride, a 4-year-old filly by Sky Mesa.

Weekend Romance is the lone stakes winner in the 5 1/2-furlong feature.

Trained by Catherine Day Phillips, Weekend Romance captured the Passing Mood Stakes, for Ontario-sired 3-year-old fillies, on the grass last July. She hasn’t started since a third-place finish as the favorite in the Nov. 16 Jammed Lovely Stakes, but she won first-time out at 2 and 3.

Patrick Husbands, who was aboard for Weekend Romance’s maiden voyage, has the mount.

Sweet Starlet was one of the better claims in 2011. Owner-trainer Jim Ensom took her for $20,000 in June, and she went on to hit the board in all seven of her subsequent outings, which included a three-race win streak.

Sweet Starlet benefited from an inside bias last time out Nov. 12, when she rallied for third in her first try at this level. Ensom, who has already clicked with a layoff runner at the meet, will give jockey Gerry Olguin a leg up on her.

The speedy E Xentrix was victorious in 4 of 5 races in 2011, while going up, down, and back up the value ladder. Two horses have exited her Nov. 26 triumph to score, most notably Saucy Song, who notched another first-level allowance.

Apprentice Scott Williams has the mount on E Xentrix, who wintered at the Palm Meadows training center with trainer Lorne Richards.

Silent Moon has been idle for over a year. She found the mark here twice in the fall of 2010, when she looked to be a promising 2-year-old for trainer Mark Casse.

Eurico Da Silva was named on the entry of Stormy Allure and Street Prize, who are both coming off the sidelines. Stormy Allure completed her 2011 campaign on a high note, with a first-level allowance win and a third-place finish at this class.