More than top-level black-type is on the line at Woodbine when the track stages the Summer Stakes (G1T) and Natalma Stakes (G1T) Sept. 19. The two CA$400,000 (US$314,032) turf races at a mile for 2-year-olds serve as Breeders' Cup Challenge qualifiers for the Breeders' Cup this fall at Del Mar.
The winner of the Summer for 2-year-old males receives a paid, automatic berth in the Nov. 5 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Presented by Coolmore America (G1T) at Del Mar, while the Natalma offers a ticket to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) on the same card. Both races from Woodbine will be shown on NBCSN from 4:30-6 p.m. ET.
The Summer is a prep to the Breeders' Cup that Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse has used before. Last year, he won the race with Gretzky the Great , who came back to run sixth in the Juvenile Turf. On Sunday Casse will send out First Empire, Souper Legacy, Luckman, and Grafton Street—though none of them is favored. The morning-line choice at 7-5 is Godolphin's Albahr, a Charlie Appleby trainee with a 3-for-4 record making his North American debut. Frankie Dettori rides the latter.
Next Stop… 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/N8KgxgJe1u
— Frankie Dettori (@FrankieDettori) September 17, 2021
First Empire, the 5-2 second choice on the morning line, is the most accomplished of Casse's group, having won the Soaring Free Stakes in his previous start. The son of 2016 champion 2-year-old male Classic Empire, owned by Harlequin Ranches, is untested beyond 6 1/2 furlongs.
"He's doing everything right, he definitely loves the turf, and he's coming into this race good, whereas this is a little tougher task," Casse said. "But, I don't see the mile being an issue."
Live Oak Plantation's Souper Legacy won his lone start, having captured an off-the-turf maiden race over seven furlongs on Tapeta, while D. J. Stable's Luckman ran second when debuting in a split of that race on the Aug. 29 card. Another maiden, Susan Magnier's Grafton Street, has not seen action since finishing third in the slop at Belmont Park May 29.
"He's by War Front , and he's kind of my version of War of Will this year," said Casse in comparing Grafton Street to the versatile 2019 Preakness Stakes (G1) winner who ran second in the 2018 Summer.
In addition to Gretzky the Great, Casse won three consecutive Summer Stakes beginning in 2013 with My Conquestadory and continuing with Conquest Typhoon and Conquest Daddyo.
Other Summer contenders include Soaring Free runner-up Degree of Risk, another Godolphin runner, this one trained by Eoin Harty; and the promising Dripping Gold, a debut winner on turf at Saratoga Race Course for trainer Shug McGaughey and owners West Point Thoroughbreds, John Ballantyne, and Titletown Racing Stables.
Flay Makes Trip for Natalma
Another first-out maiden winner at Saratoga, Bobby Flay's Pizza Bianca, will be among the favorites in the Natalma. The July 22 victress is 4-1—third choice on the morning line—behind Godolphin's British-based raider Wild Beauty at 5-2 and D. J. Stable and Nexus Racing Club's local stakes winner Diabolic, a 3-1 shot trained by Casse.
Flay, a celebrity chef, is planning to be on hand Sunday at Woodbine, according to trainer Christophe Clement.
"For an owner/breeder the black type is a big deal for him, and the grade 1 is also a big deal for him because it's more than just one race, it's a long-term plan," Clement said of the daughter of Fastnet Rock.
Another homebred that won first out, Charles Fipke's Ready Lady (More Than Ready), is a half sister to last year's winner, Lady Speightspeare, who scored for the owner and trainer Roger Attfield, a three-time Natalma winner. Emma-Jayne Wilson, aboard Lady Speightspeare last year, rides Ready Lady.
Ready Lady prevailed by a half-length Aug. 26 in her debut, a seven-furlong maiden race on grass.
"It was an encouraging race, I thought," Attfield said. "She's trained very well since then and we thought if she did, we'd give her a chance like we did for her half sister at this point last year. It's the same type of timing."
Stepping up in class is Eminent Victor (Mr. Z), bought by owners Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, and Louis Lazzinnaro and turned over to trainer Chad Brown after a longshot victory at first asking at Arlington International Race Course on the synthetic surface. Her maiden score came for owner Mark DeDomenico and trainer Michael Puhich.
Having more experience is Wild Beauty, a Frankel filly who is 2-2-0 in five starts in England for owner/breeder Godolphin and Appleby. She has twice been runner-up in stakes, including last out in a group 3. Dettori rides for the first time.
Besides the Summer and Natalma, Sunday's card includes the Ontario Racing Stakes and Woodbine Cares Stakes, each at five furlongs on grass and worth CA$125,000 ($98,111). Diamond City, a maiden, is favored in the five-horse Ontario Racing for 2-year-old males, Fulminate in the Woodbine Cares for juvenile fillies.
Woodbine, Sunday, September 19, 2021, Race 9Entries: Summer S. (G1T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Dripping Gold (KY) Joel Rosario 122 Claude R. McGaughey III 9/2 2 2Luckman (KY) Emma-Jayne Wilson 122 Mark E. Casse 20/1 3 3Grafton Street (KY) Rafael Manuel Hernandez 122 Mark E. Casse 10/1 4 4Albahr (GB) Lanfranco Dettori 122 Charles Appleby 7/5 5 5Heat Merchant (KY) Gary Boulanger 122 Ralph J. Biamonte 15/1 6 6Degree of Risk (KY) Justin Stein 122 Eoin G. Harty 8/1 7 7Souper Legacy (FL) Antonio A. Gallardo 122 Mark E. Casse 15/1 8 8First Empire (ON) Patrick Husbands 122 Mark E. Casse 5/2 9 9Ready for the Lady (KY) Keveh Nicholls 122 Roger L. Attfield 20/1
Woodbine, Sunday, September 19, 2021, Race 8Entries: Natalma S. (G1T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Ready Lady (KY) Emma-Jayne Wilson 121 Roger L. Attfield 10/1 2 2Pizza Bianca (KY) Joel Rosario 121 Christophe Clement 4/1 3 3Guileful (KY) Simon P. Husbands 121 Nathan Squires 15/1 4 4Royal Engagement (KY) Colby J. Hernandez 121 Timothy E. Hamm 8/1 5 5Wild Beauty (GB) Lanfranco Dettori 121 Charles Appleby 5/2 6 6Baksheesh (ON) Kazushi Kimura 121 Mark E. Casse 20/1 7 7Diabolic (IRE) Antonio A. Gallardo 121 Mark E. Casse 3/1 8 8Mrs. Barbara (KY) Rafael Manuel Hernandez 121 Mark E. Casse 15/1 9 9Cardio Princess (JPN) Justin Stein 121 Mark E. Casse 20/1 10 10Eminent Victor (KY) Flavien Prat 121 Chad C. Brown 6/1
