Woodbine: Weekend Romance brings excitement to Passing Mood

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Weekend Romance made quite an impression during the spring, when she won both of her starts convincingly. She seems poised to notch her first stakes win Saturday at Woodbine in the $125,000 Passing Mood, a seven-furlong turf sprint for Ontario-sired 3-year-old fillies.

Weekend Romance used her speed to land her debut at 2 last year. She went on to finish a fading third behind Inglorious in the Fanfreluche Stakes, before capping her season with a nose loss in allowance company.

Weekend Romance employed a stalking style to capture both of her races this year, which came in Ontario-sired allowance company in June. She earned a Beyer Figure in the low 80s on each occasion, and her turf debut June 30 was arguably her best performance.

Trainer Catherine Day Phillips said Weekend Romance has turned the corner this year.

“She’s obviously a very fast filly, and as a 2-year-old she wanted to show everybody how fast she was,” Day Phillips said. “This year, she seems to have matured a little. She’ll relax and wait until she’s called upon. That has made her more competitive, and she seemed to really enjoy the turf in her last race. She moved over it beautifully.”

Weekend Romance was a $25,000 purchase at a local yearling sale. Day Phillips said the daughter of Old Forester initially caught her eye because she’s out of a mare by Vice Regent, who’s the broodmare sire of two stakes winners whom she trained, Jambalaya and Vobiscum.

“I really liked the way she moved,” Day Phillips said. “She has a big white face that I have a certain fondness for, like Vice Regent had.”

Weekend Romance worked five-eighths in a glib 59.60 on the Polytrack last Saturday.

“She had a nice breeze,” said Day Phillips. “I’m very happy with her. She’s an exciting filly.”

Sinister Quill should be the second choice off her unlucky third-place finish against males in the six-furlong Bold Ruckus Stakes, in which she was bottled up in traffic before surging late.

“I believe she should have won the race,” said trainer Danny Vella.

Zee Beauty was a front-running fifth when trainer Mike DePaulo ran her 1 1/16 miles on the grass June 2. Most recently, she led throughout a seven-furlong first-level allowance on the grass.

“She might be better on the grass,” said DePaulo. “She’s a full sister to Birsay.”

DePaulo sent out Birsay to finish second in the 2007 Passing Mood.