Top Field in Ontario

Top Field in Ontario

Ontario – This week will see the running of The Horseshoe Falls Stakes, a Grade II event to be run over a mile and a half on the turf.  The weather is expected to be clear and a good crowd is expected to watch the $275,000 race for all horses three and up.  Only seven will face the starter on Saturday and here is a look at the field.

On the hedge will be The Vanguard (7/1) a 5YO horse by Sadler’s Wells.  He is ranked # 49 in the long turf division and with only seventeen starts he is lightly raced for his age.  Named for his trainer, Vanguard, he has won six and will show some good speed away from the gate.  He has only had two bad races in his last eight and will be shipping in from Sweden where he finished second last time out in an allowance race.  He led to mid-stretch in that and may find the shorter distance of The Horseshoe Falls more to his liking if not the company.

The Supers are represented by two in this race and the first is trained by Super21.  Good To Be King (2/1) is the co-favorite in the race and is a nice looking 4YO colt by Smarty Jones.  He has won only four of his 25 races but he has well over a million dollars in the bank.  He will have wraps on all four legs Saturday but he has managed 100 + speed figures wearing them in his last four races so don’t count him out.  He likes the distance but has managed only minor placings at the graded level.

Otto Platinum (7/1) is out to prove that the girls can run with the boys at any time.  A 5YO mare by Mineshaft, she is trained by Verona and is ranked # 6 with 10 wins from 18 starts she has won four of her last six including The Grade II, I Messed Up Stakes.  She comes in to this race off a win in The Mad Belief Bonanza and her only problem might be that the race might be too short for her. 

Tbgifted2 will saddle Acid (7/1), one of his many route horses.  A 5 YO horse by Woodman, he has won seven of his 30 starts but his last win was seven back in the 13 furlong Socially Patrol.  He generally makes a big run from the back of the pack but he will need some help form his 7% jock on Saturday as his best recent performance at this level was a 4^th place finish. 

Closing well to win The Light Pants two back, The Giant’s Gone (5/1) may well be the one to watch in this race.  He’s won six of 20 for trainer Zooom and he ran out of ground last time out in The Well Doc.  This distance will be more to his liking and the son of Giant’s Causeway will only have to step up his game a bit to be competitive here.

Simulation King (2/1) is the other co-favorite in this race and will be saddled by the lately silent but still deadly Champion’s4.  A 4 YO son of Desert King he has one of the top riders in the Ontario jockey colony aboard and combined with his # 18 ranking, this race could be his race to lose.  He has won eight of 12 starts and has banked over $500,000 in his short career and he just seems to be getting better.  He has won three of his last five including the Grade II,  Longstickgoboom and the Grade I, Lot’s Of Luck in Ireland by five.  I saw the vet truck backed up to the barn this morning, so Simulation King will be feeling no pain.

On the outside is the second of the two Super horses.  Expected Yield (8/1) is a 4 YO son of High Yield and trained by Super8.  He is a six time winner of 27 starts and won The Warm Dolphin and The Steve Ridge, both at longer.  He has some gas and will probably be sent to the front ensure that The Vanguard doesn’t get loose on the lead. 

That is the field and it is a pretty competitive race.  Good Luck to all.