Two-Year-Olds Showcased Oct. 30 in Stakes at Woodbine

news7g10/29/2021

3 3 minutes read

Two-Year-Olds Showcased Oct. 30 in Stakes at Woodbine

Fourteen hopefuls, together with Dan Vella’s cost The Minkster , square off in the CA$250,000 Coronation Futurity, which headlines a trio of stakes Oct. 30 at Woodbine.

The 1 1/8-mile Tapeta occasion for Canadian-foaled 2-year-olds is a major race on the highway to the 163rd working of the Queen’s Plate, the primary jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. The CA$125,000 Show Stakes, for 2-year-olds, and the CA$125,000 Wonderful Track Stakes, for 2-year-year-old fillies, will go as races three and 9, respectively. Each are seven furlongs on the Tapeta.

The Mindster, a bay son of English Channel , impressed in his career bow on October 2, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

Under David Moran, who will be in the irons again on Saturday, he broke inward and bumped with a rival, but recovered to hold a slim lead along the backstretch. After forcing the pace from the rail on the turn, the colt took the lead in the stretch, widened his advantage down the lane and coasted home a 6 1/4-length winner.

“I was expecting a really big effort,” said Vella. “You never quite expect it to be that easy. That win was even easier than it looks on paper. He was pretty much geared down and ran green, but he’s a very talented horse. I don’t know what the limit is on him. I don’t know if there is one. When they came back, David said that he still had a lot of horse. He said, ‘Wait until he figures out how to run in a straight line.'”

Bred by Dr. Tan Hyka and owned by Sea Glass Stables LLC, The Minkster will now deal with a sequence of firsts, together with two turns and a run over the Tapeta.

“I’ve had a number of English Channels and they’re late to mature mentally and bodily,” Vella stated. “He matured quite a bit from that race, however he has much more to do. Only a few English Channels attain their peak within the first race of their life. They get nothing however higher with age and racing. He is bought some studying to do but, however he can run.”

Vella has related excessive reward for his Wonderful Track contender Marie MacKay .

The bay daughter of Noble Mission , bred and owned by Donald Whalen and Track West Racing, took the Shady Well Stakes Oct 8 at Woodbine.

“We’re going to take a shot at the open company and seven-eightjs. She’s a lovely filly. We don’t know what her limits are. We haven’t reached them. She has a load of talent. She’s training super, so we’re going to give it a go.”

Other Coronation Futurity starters include a trio of Mark Casse starters, Fast Feet , God of Love , and Lament , and three Kevin Attard trainees, Hidden Honor , Kiddie Holiday , and Laraque , as well as Stronger Together , trained by Sid Attard.

Stronger Together, a chestnut son of Liam’s Map , has posted a pair of third-place finishes in his two career starts.

Bred by Jim Dandy Stable and owned by Spruce Park Stable, the colt’s most recent effort came in the Cup & Saucer Stakes Oct. 10 at Woodbine.

“This is a very nice horse,” said Attard. “I thought he has run two very good races. He’s doing very well coming into this race and hopefully he builds off those first two starts and has a big race.”