Woodbine: Sharp Sensation working well for debut

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – A pair of maiden special weight events will bookend Friday’s nine-race Woodbine card. Trainers Reade Baker and Mark Casse both entered two first-time starters in the opener, a five-furlong dash for 2-year-olds.

Baker named Emma Wilson on the entry of Sharp Sensation and Holy Whirl Wind, who are owned by Jim and Susan Hill.

Sharp Sensation worked a half-mile in a bullet 47 seconds from the gate on the Polytrack on Nov. 7, and he subsequently recorded two five-furlong drills over the training track. A Kentucky-bred by Sharp Humor, Sharp Sensation is a half-brother to three stakes-placed runners.

Holy Whirl Wind, a son of Pulpit, is out of Atto Mile runner-up Chopinina, the dam of stakes-placed grass expert Merkabah.

Casse’s uncoupled duo are Jagger M and Inchcape.

Jagger M, who has been posting average works, is bred to run long. The son of Harlan’s Holiday is out of Bison City Stakes winner Nithi, the dam of Bison City winner Silver Nithi, who was second in the Woodbine Oaks.

Inchcape, a Eugene Melnyk homebred by Indian Charlie, breezed a bullet five-eighths in 1:01.40 on Nov. 14.

Sneaky Freud is the lone entrant in the first with racing experience. Three weeks after narrowly losing his Aug. 19 debut, he finished fifth in another five-furlong maiden special. Trainer Abraham Katryan is putting blinkers on the June foal.

Lennon and Conceited are each by a high-percentage 2-year-old debut sire, with Lennon by Smoke Glacken and Conceited by Not For Love.

Baker and Casse also will clash in the nightcap, when Baker runs Benita Blue and Casse sends out Perfect Agility in 1 1/16-mile route for older females.

Benita Blue finished second in the best of her three turf tries earlier in the meet. When returning from a layoff Oct. 19, she made a middle move before flattening out to finish third in two-turn Polytrack event.

Perfect Agility hit the board in all four of her outings, including twice this fall on the Polytrack. She could only manage third as the 1-4 favorite after making a bid and then hanging Nov. 7.

Keera could be the sleeper in the finale. She started slowly and was steadied while in traffic on the far turn en route to finishing fourth behind the aforementioned duo Oct. 19. Two fillies exited that event to graduate, and the winner subsequently rallied for third in a first-level allowance.

Ready to Ramble is coming off a vastly improved performance, during which she set honest fractions before weakening to second. She could take the ninth-race field a long way under Eurico Da Silva.