Woodbine: Royal Fury, Da Silva team up again Friday

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Royal Fury has run two solid races under Eurico Rosa Da Silva, who will be back aboard here Friday if she contests an optional claimer scheduled for nine furlongs on the grass. Trainer Brian Lynch also entered her in a second-level allowance at Keeneland on Friday.

Royal Fury was in poor form until she woke up under Da Silva in a $40,000 conditioned claimer Aug. 11. Sent off at 11-1, she parlayed a stalking trip into a daylight tally in the one-mile grass route. Da Silva also was up for her next race, Sept. 22, when she finished third behind stakes winners Dixie Strike and Tee Game in 1 1/16-mile optional claimer that was switched from turf to the Polytrack.

Royal Fury has worked twice leading up to this engagement, including a five-furlong Polytrack drill in 1:01.60 last Friday.

Black Bird Rock, who placed in three restricted stakes without finding the mark in 2012, is another contender in Friday’s headliner.

Black Bird Rock has been campaigned sporadically this year in first-level allowance company. She got the job done under Omar Moreno in her most recent start, which came going a mile on the grass Aug. 24, while earning a career-high 83 Beyer Speed Figure. The runner-up, Dance Again, subsequently captured the Carotene Stakes.

Moreno will ride Black Bird Rock again for leading trainer Mark Casse.

Chedington, Eastern Atlantic, and Thislilsoulofmine were all nominated to the Nov. 2 Maple Leaf Stakes in addition to being entered in Friday’s race.

Chedington was scratched from last Saturday’s River Memories Stakes by trainer Mike Doyle, who has sent her out to win 3 of 6 starts.

Chedington prevailed over a weak group in a first-level allowance on the Polytrack on Aug. 11. She doubled up in a $40,000 conditioned claimer going long on the grass Sept. 20, which she won in front-running style with an 83 Beyer.

Eastern Atlantic checked in fourth in back-to-back stakes in August, the Etobicoke and Belle Mahone. She could only manage sixth as the favorite when she dropped to this class in her last outing, Sept. 15.

Thislilsoulofmine showed nothing in her two starts at the meet. A plodder, she has been idle since trailing in the allowance prep for the Flaming Page Stakes on July 24. When she was on top of her game, she won a nine-furlong allowance here in July 2012 with an 88 Beyer.

Rounding out the six-horse field is Players Club.