Woodbine: Pender Harbour getting blinkers back on

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Pender Harbour, the most accomplished 3-year-old at Woodbine, will meet older Ontario-sired opposition in Saturday’s $125,000 Bunty Lawless Stakes, which is scheduled for a mile on the grass.

After ending up third in the Queen’s Plate, Pender Harbour captured the final two legs of this year’s Canadian Triple Crown. He won the Prince of Wales Stakes on the dirt at Fort Erie, and the Breeders’ Stakes here on the grass.

Following a freshening Sept. 24, Pender Harbour checked in eighth in the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx, a race that trainer Mike DePaulo felt was a throwout.

“He acted up in the gate,” DePaulo recalled. “He broke a little funny, and his race was pretty much over when he came out of the gate. The track was super-fast. The winner ran a 104 Beyer, and we actually ran as fast as we did before.”

Pender Harbour is adding blinkers, which he hasn’t worn since his season-opener.

“I’m going to throw the blinkers back on, to put a little more zip into him,” said DePaulo. “I worked him a half-mile the other day, and he went good.”

Welloiledmachine, another 3-year-old, is unbeaten since trainer Mike Keogh put him on the grass, over which he won an Ontario-sired allowance from well off the pace Aug. 12. He’s exiting off a front-running victory over yielding ground in the restricted Vice Regent Stakes.

Keogh said Welloiledmachine was forwardly placed in the one-mile Vice Regent because of the position that the temporary rail was in.

“They had the rail all the way out, and you can’t be too far out of it when it’s that far out,” said Keogh. “I like the way that he ran in his first start on the turf.”

Trainer Mark Casse entered Paso Doble and Hippolytus.

Paso Doble has won two sprint stakes this year, both in Ontario-sired company on the Polytrack.

“I think he likes the turf, but he might want it a little firmer,” said Casse. “If it’s real soft, I’m not going to run him. If they were to take it off and run it at a mile and 70 yards, I might give it a shot.”

Queen’s Plate runner-up Hippolytus wound up fourth in his lone turf try in the 12-furlong Breeders’. He was a close second in each of his two most recent outings, in the Elgin Stakes and Ontario Derby.

“He’s held his form quite well, all year long,” said Casse.