Woodbine: Spin the King is horse to beat in Bull Page Stakes
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Spin the King brings a fat 80 Beyer Speed Figure to Monday’s $125,000 Bull Page Stakes, which should help to make him the favorite in the six-furlong sprint for Ontario-sired male 2-year-olds.
The Brian Lynch-trained Spin the King has started three times at Woodbine. He wound up second after leading the way in his June 16 debut. Three weeks later, he graduated over 5 1/2 furlongs in the restricted Clarendon Stakes, in which he edged out the favored Go Greeley by a nose.
Most recently, on Aug. 28, Spin the King set the pace under Luis Contreras in the $200,000 Simcoe, a 6 1/2-furlong yearling-sales stakes. Go Greeley linked up with Spin the King in the stretch, and they battled to the wire, with Go Greeley prevailing by a nose with an 80 Beyer.
“There were a couple of speed horses in the Simcoe, and the last place I expected him to be was on the lead,” Lynch said. “He broke sharp and put himself into the race. Luis tried to nurse him along, but by the middle of the turn, he realized he had some horse, so he tried to steal it. Consequently, [Go Greeley] ended up nipping him on the wire. I honestly thought that we won the photo.”
Lynch said Spin the King has trained forwardly leading up to the Bull Page.
“His last couple works were very strong,” Lynch said. “He’s gotten better with each race, and we’ve given him plenty of time between races. We’ve tried to manage him like a good one, and hopefully he’ll pay us back on Monday.”
Why Tie the Knot, trained by a hot Greg Cox, is in with an upset chance. Why Tie the Knot rallied for second in his six-furlong debut Aug. 9, then earned his diploma under Jim McAleney in a seven-furlong maiden special weight race Aug. 25.
“He was off a step sideways in his first start,” Cox said. “He bumped another horse, and they were gone in front of him. McAleney wanted to avoid that the second time, so he came out of the 1 hole and got him on the bridle. He inherited the lead and kept going.”
Cox said he decided to give Why Tie the Knot a break after his victory, with the Bull Page in mind.
“He went to the farm for two or three weeks,” Cox said. “After breaking his maiden, there wasn’t much for him. I’m happy with the way he is now.”