Woodbine: A rested Bear It's Time shows her best

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Bear It’s Time was facing a tough task in the 1 1/8-mile Woodbine Oaks, coming back on less than two weeks’ rest. She finished sixth after a winning seasonal bow in the seven-furlong Lady Angela.

But the scenario had changed heading into last Sunday’s $250,000 Bison City, and Bear It’s Time, with four weeks to regroup, rallied for a head victory in the 1 1/16 mile-stakes for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies.

“I thought she’d run better; time was on her side;” said Reade Baker, who trains Bear It’s Time for Danny Dion. “That’s what I expected in the Oaks, except for the 13 days. I had her too sharp; she couldn’t do that there. Some guys get lucky running two weeks back or less. I’ve never done any good doing that.”

Provided that all remains well then Bear It’s Time should make her next appearance in the July 31 Wonder Where, a $250,000 Woodbine turf stakes at 1 1/4 miles. The Wonder Where follows the Woodbine Oaks and Bison City as the final leg of the triple tiara for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies.

“She’s bred to go a mile and a half,” said Baker, “and she has turf in her pedigree.”

Luis Contreras, who had ridden Bear It’s Time in the Lady Angela but opted for Inglorious in the Woodbine Oaks, was back in the saddle on Bear It’s Time for the Bison City.

Bear It’s Time was the meet-leading 11th stakes winner for Contreras and the fifth for Baker, who shares the lead in that category with Roger Attfield. Bear It’s Time was giving Baker his second straight Bison City success, following Free Fee Lady’s tally here last year. Touchnow, in 2004, and Synchronized, 1999, won the Bison City for Baker when it was contested at Fort Erie.

Free Fee Lady went on to win the Wonder Where and was the runner-up to her stablemate Biofuel in the Sovereign Award voting for the 3-year-old filly division. A winner of three of just four career starts in her first campaign, Free Fee Lady had been working toward a return to the races but Baker reports that she has been retired.

Bear’s Chill to chill out

Another Baker-Dion runner, Bear’s Chill, trailed the field in the six-furlong Achievement on Saturday as the even-money choice. He had also finished last in the Plate Trial.

“He’s going on summer holiday,” said Baker. “He can’t handle the heat. He’ll run in the yearling sales stakes, or afterward.”

Bear’s Chill would have sprint, middle-distance and turf options among the six stakes run for products of the local yearling sale here Sept. 5.

Helping to ease the pain of Bear’s Chill’s Achievement defeat was a solid performance by Bear No Joke, who finished second to Eternal Rule while making his stakes debut.

“I was pleasantly surprised,” said Baker, who had sent out Bear No Joke to win a first-level allowance at six furlongs here May 13 in his prior start.