Woodbine: Recent claim Big Breeches adds Lasix in attempt to win first career race

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The lone non-claiming race on Thursday’s Woodbine card is a wide-open 1 1/16-mile maiden special, which is worth just $37,000. A case can be made for many of the nine entrants, and Big Breeches has as good a chance as any.

When he debuted in a $25,000 route in May of last year, Big Breeches got away slowly before closing strongly for second. He ran another solid race when returning from a one-year layoff May 15, during which he awaited room on the turn before rallying for second in a seven-furlong sprint for $40,000 maidens.

Owner-trainer Nick DeToro claimed Big Breeches from his last race, and is putting the 4-year-old gelding on Lasix for Thursday’s race. Gerry Olguin has the mount.

Kodiak Moment and Maxwell Coast are both going long for the first time, with ample stamina in their pedigrees.

Kodiak Moment had a very wide trip when fourth in a recent maiden special that was taken off the turf. A son of Jim Dandy Stakes winner Strong Hope, Kodiak Moment is a half-brother to the route stakes winner Just In Case Jimmy and Smartest Thing, who ran second in the Princess Elizabeth Stakes.

Maxwell Coast is by Broken Vow and out of a useful router, who has thrown the stakes-winning sprinter Mullins Beach. He dueled through slow fractions before tiring to fifth in his last race, which was his first in 10 months.

Whippit is hard to figure. He competed in four stakes in his 10 starts, and was second in his next-to-last race in the 1 1/16-mile Wando, an overnight stakes. The Wando winner, Check Your Soul, came back to romp in the Plate Trial, an important stakes prep for the Queen’s Plate.

Most recently, Whippit finished a distant sixth in a tough maiden special over nine furlongs, which is probably farther than he wants to go.

Rise to Glory, like Maxwell Coast, is trained by Mark Casse. A well-bred son of Giant’s Causeway, Rise to Glory never challenged during a three-wide trip in his lone outing last summer on the grass at Saratoga.

The Stronach Stable entry of Holy Crusader and Ghost Gunner isn’t very strong. Holy Crusader is exiting a fourth-place finish in a slow seven-furlong maiden special, and Ghost Gunner got dusted in his lone start. Both are going on Lasix.

Yes This Is It is also stretching out for his first try off the $40,000 claim.