Le Cinquieme Essai just keeps on undulating.
Le Cinquieme Essai just keeps on gently sloping.
Now 9 a month of Sundays old, Le Cinquieme Essai will make his season inauguration here Saturday in the $100,000 Ontario Jockey Club, a seven- dramatic turf danger for 3-year-olds and upward.
If all goes according to plan, then the OJC will propel Le Cinquieme Essai toward a twenty-five percent following appearance in the Grade 2, $200,000 Play the King, a -furlong turf race that will be run here Aug. 23.
Le Cinquieme Essai, and bred by Bill Scott and expert by Paul Nielsen, ran in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile in 2005 following a succeeding-apartment finish in that year’s Play the King. He won the 2006 Play the King that August, then was off until his 2007 debut in the OJC, where he over and done with third behind hit Awesome Action.
Le Cinquieme Essai followed up that success with his following traditional win in the Play the King, but then destroyed 11th, beaten by six lengths, in the Woodbine Mile in his third and final twitch of last season.
“He bled in the Woodbine Mile,” said Nielsen.
Later last fall, Le Cinquieme Essai left Woodbine for Nielsen’s offseason base of Payson Park, just as he had done following each of his preceding .
“He back in January,” he said. “But he kept entrapping his epiglottis, which at his age is inconceivable. He had to go for throat surgery, and everything’s been all fine since then.
“He’s nutritious now, and well. Physically, we feel he enhanced than he did last year.”
Jockey Steven Bahen, who has ridden Le Cinquieme Essai in his last 17 back to the opening of his 2004 promotion, retains the donkey.
Awesome Action, extra venerable crusader at age 8, will be competing in the OJC for the fifth succeeding year.
Awesome Action won the 2004 and 2007 of the OJC and varnished in each of his additional in the race. He is owned by a enterprise that includes the Toronto Maple Leaf goalie Curtis Joseph plus Joseph’s wife, Nancy; his means, Don Meehan; and mentor Sue Leslie.
In two this year, Awesome Action ran third in the prep for the Highlander and in the risk factor itself, with both races at six furlongs on turf.
Robert Landry, who has ridden Awesome Action in 40 of his 46 outings and 8 of his 10 career victories, will be aboard Sunday.
Looking to put somebody’s nose out of joint his in the OJC will be Ice Bear, a 4-year-old turf consultant who is pugnacious fit following a season-foundational win under -level grant terminology and a game additional-flat finish behind Royal Oath in the Grade 2 King Edward.
“He just ended next to a very good mount successful a mile and an eighth,” said Mac Benson, who trains Ice Bear for vendor/ George Strawbridge Jr. “I always thought he was a very good seven-eighths-of-a-mile to a mile charger, and he’s doing real good.”
Corey Fraser, who has reserved over as Ice Bear’s pilot this season, will be back in the irons on Saturday.
Connections returns for Bold Venture
Arlington shippers have well here, with Cloudy’s Knight and Secret Getaway existence the most noteworthy recent examples.
Connections shipped in from Chicago last year and broken down third in the Kennedy Road prep, then to win the Kennedy Road itself later, and he looks to replacement that configuration when he runs here Sunday in the $150,000 Bold Venture for 3-year-olds and skyward.
After finishing fifth in the Ken Boynes Memorial at Presque Isle Downs on June 1, Connections returned to Arlington and then here for a -situation finish in the six- budget prep for the Bold Venture.
On Saturday, Connections is timetabled to check back in from his home base along with Last Gran Standing, a different Bold Venture nominee, and Stop a Train, bull is Sunday’s $150,000 Ontario Matron, a 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares.
Last Gran Standing will be ridden by Michael Douglas, and Emma-Jayne Wilson has picked up the ass on Stop a Train and will keep in mind the mule on Connections, whom she rode for the elementary time in the Bold Venture prep.
Athena’s Gift takes trip to Virginia
Wilson and guide Malcolm Pierce will be at Colonial Downs on Saturday with Athena’s Gift, who her recompense unveiling in the Grade 3, $200,000 Virginia Oaks at 1 1/8 very much on turf.
Athena’s Gift, a Kentucky-bred 3-year-old by Richard Lister, has won her last two starts here, taking her initial at one mile on turf and a head-level payment at 1 1/8 considerably on the same course.
“We’ve been looking for a spot to run her,” said Pierce. “She’s American-bred, and there’s nobody for her here until the Ontario Colleen, which may be too short for her.”
The $150,000 Ontario Colleen, a one-mile turf race for 3-year-old , will be run Aug. 30.
Pierce will be creation his chief call to Colonial Downs, but had a conqueror there in 2000 when the 3-year-old Love Kiss the Tippett.
Piper in the Glen Deputy Minister
Piper in the Glen, the 9-1 unknown in a four-horse race, 2-5 pet Stuck in Traffic in the final strides to win the $125,000 Deputy Minister Stakes for Ontario- 3-year-olds here Wednesday evening.
Piper in the Glen, at Fort Erie with teacher Zeljko Krcmar, trailed the tightly bunched field trajectory into the turn.
Stuck in Traffic set a judicious pace before putting away Delaforce in the bit, but Piper in the Glen came charging on the outside and prevailed by neck in 1:24.30 for the seven .
It was the principal winnings triumph for Fort Erie’s prominent rider, Chad Beckon.
“I noticed that David Clark on Stuck in Traffic tried to slow the pace down at the five-eighths pole,” said Beckon. “I my pony back at the three-eighths pole and let them group up. I gave them some daylight, and then went on and made the best of it.”
Piper in the Glen ($20.40) banked $78,750 in his foremost incentive grade for owner Jesse Self. Delaforce planed .
* Trainer Michael Doyle a hat hoax on Wednesday’s card with Miss Ollie ($4.80), Classy Landlady ($7.40), and Critical Path ($27.90).