Woodbine: Madman Diaries back for Woodstock

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Madman Diaries, Canada’s reigning champion 2-year-old, returns to Woodbine on Saturday to contest the $150,000 Woodstock Stakes, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds.

Madman Diaries started three times at Woodbine in 2010. He was a runaway maiden winner second time out in May, and then doubled up in the five-furlong Victoria Stakes, earning an Beyer Speed Figure of 86. After running second here in the July 17 Colin Stakes, he captured the Grade 3 Sapling Stakes at Monmouth, and was a front-running fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Churchill.

Madman Diaries was a well-beaten seventh in his lone outing this, the Grade 2 Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream.

“He’s doing great,” said trainer Wesley Ward. “We took the blinkers off in his last start, and he was looking around and eyeing other horses. He’s worked a couple of bullets with the blinkers back on.”

Trainer Bob Tiller entered the promising Ontario-bred Oh Canada, who will be making his first start since a second-out runner-up placing in a Dec. 4 allowance. Oh Canada, who was gelded over the winter, is nominated to the June 26 Queen’s Plate.

“We need to get a race into him, and then we’ll go from there,” said Tiller. “It’s one start at a time. I’m not calling him a Plate horse right now. He has ability. He can run. Hopefully, we can do some good with him.”

Trainer Reade Baker is sending out Bear Chocolated and Bear’s Chill, who are not coupled.

Bear Chocolated captured a five-furlong allowance with ease in his April 3 season opener, registering an 82 Beyer Figure.

“I thought he ran super, but it’s coming back a little too quick for me,” Baker admitted.

Bear’s Chill won his maiden on the next-to-last day of the 2010 meet, and then spent the winter at the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida. He started once at Gulfstream, finishing fourth in a two-turn allowance on the grass March 20.

“I had a really difficult time getting him fit,” said Baker. “I don’t know why. He’s a huge horse.”

Black N Beauty was pulled up in the seven-furlong Hutcheson at Gulfstream, and was subsequently scratched from the Grade 2 Swale Stakes. He wound up fifth behind Dialed In in the Grade 3 Holy Bull Jan. 30.

Divine Music has been freshened since a narrow loss in the Black Gold Stakes on the dirt at the Fair Grounds.