Woodbine: Jenna's Wabbit looks odds-on in Deputy Minister

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The imposing speedster Jenna’s Wabbit will negotiate seven furlongs Wednesday night at Woodbine in the $125,000 Deputy Minister. Despite carrying 128 pounds, he should be odds-on in the stakes for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds.

Jenna’s Wabbit had a fabulous 2-year-old campaign under the guidance of trainer Ralph Biamonte, during which he landed two Ontario-sired stakes, the Bull Page and Frost King. He got a late start to this campaign after undergoing off-season ankle surgery. Jenna’s Wabbit toted 124 pounds while winning his two starts at the meet, both in six-furlong restricted stakes under Eurico Da Silva. He stalked the leaders before going in for the kill when trying the turf for the first time in the June 9 Bold Ruckus. On July 2, he reverted back to a front-running style to take the Achievement for Ontario-breds by 3 1/2 lengths on the Polytrack.

“He’s doing great,” said Biamonte. “He came out of the Achievement real good. Eurico had a hard time controlling him. He just wanted to take off.”

Biamonte said he isn’t concerned with the stretch-out to a longer sprint.

“He won at seven-eighths last year,” Biamonte noted. “That distance might even be better. He can get out there and relax a little bit.”

Bear and Rod should be in the hunt for a share. He checked in fifth in the Bold Ruckus after bumping with Jenna’s Wabbit in the stretch.

Trainer Mike DePaulo scratched Bear and Rod from an Ontario-sired allowance June 30 in favor of the Achievement, in which he finished a respectable third under Justin Stein.

“I didn’t think he could win the nonwinners-of-three allowance against older horses,” DePaulo said. “We got out of there and took a shot at the stake, where I thought he could be third.”

Bear and Rod, a son of One Way Love, is competing beyond six furlongs for the first time in the Deputy Minister.

“I think it’s within his range,” said DePaulo. “His dam is by Lil E. Tee, so maybe I should be running him two turns. Not too many of the One Way Loves go long, but he did himself.”

Courtville was fourth behind Jenna’s Wabbit in two stakes last fall. He seemingly found his calling going long in the spring, when he romped in an Ontario-sired allowance and finished a distant third in the nine-furlong Victoria Park Stakes. The top two finishers in the open Victoria Park, Prospective and Patrioticandproud, both returned to win stakes.