Sunday’s C$250,000
Bison City Stakes at Woodbine will not see either the
first- or second-place finisher from the June 9 Woodbine Oaks attempt the
second leg of Canada’s Triple Tiara for three-year-old fillies, but the 1
1/16-mile contest still only drew seven sophomore fillies.
With Nipissing and Spring in the Air both bypassing the Bison City for a run
against the boys in the Queen’s Plate on July 7, that could leave the way clear
for Original Script to take the top prize.
The Malibu Moon miss led throughout
the nine-furlong Woodbine Oaks before just being caught in the lane by the
previous two. Prior to that, the Paul Attard trainee won an allowance over the
Bison City distance, and her only off-the-board effort came when she tried a
conventional dirt surface in the Gulfstream Park Oaks to begin her sophomore
season on March 30.
Original Script made her juvenile finale a close second in the Ontario Lassie
after easily taking her initial two starts, and gets top jockey Jesse Campbell
back in the irons for Sunday’s affair.
Lining up against the gray filly will be, among others, I’m a Kittyhawk. She
captured the Lady Angela last out on May 25, and
brings a two-race win streak into her route debut for conditioner Robert Crean.
“It was a very good effort,” Crean asserted. “She was the underdog and we
like to be the underdog. That’s when my horses run best…when they’re not
considered.”
Crean believes his Tomahawk filly benefited from having time off
after her debut effort in her only start as a two-year-old.
“We stopped on her because she left the gate pretty bad
that day and the next day her back was really hurting her,” Crean explained
about her short juvenile season. “We though that if we went on with her then we
wouldn’t have a three-year-old.”
That decision proved right as I’m a Kittyhawk has been
unbeatable in 2013 under jockey David Moran. The duo will try to maintain their perfect
mark together on Sunday.
“She’s a filly that’s really developed this year,” Crean added. “We were
smart to put her away as a two-year-old because she wasn’t right at the time.
She’s going in the right direction now.
“I believe that she can (go two turns), but against those
types of horses, who knows? She has great lung capacity this filly. All you have
to do is keep her happy. She worked extremely well between the Lady Angela and
this race.”
I’m a Kittyhawk will leave from the inside post in Sunday’s
test, a position that Crean feels his filly will relish.
“She’s very versatile. You can put her anywhere you want,” he noted. “She’s
not a filly that gets intimidated by anything. She runs her race and if she’s
good enough, she’ll show up.”
Strut the Course finished fourth behind I’m a Kittyhawk in the Lady Angela,
but has had prior experience with a route of ground. The bay filly broke her
maiden sprinting six furlongs last fall before running third at that same
distance in the Victorian Queen. She wrapped up her two-year-old campaign by
stretching out to 1 1/16 miles in the Princess Elizabeth and was just caught in
that event to wind up a half-length second.
Thus far this season Strut the Course has captured an allowance by 5 1/4
lengths and ran fourth in the Lady Angela, both at seven furlongs. Trainer
Barbara Minshall will try to stretch out her Strut the Stage filly once again in
the Bison City.
Sarah Her Highness is by far the most experienced runner in the field,
already owning 12 starts. The bay daughter of Milwaukee Brew recorded most of
those last year, including placings in the Muskoka and Fanfreluche, and added a
third in the 1 1/16-mile Trillium to her resume just three weeks ago. Trainer
William Tharrenos will give a leg up to jockey Luis Contreras on Sarah Her
Highness.
Smartyfly’s one attempt at a route of ground resulted in her worse finish to
date, but it also came over Keeneland’s turf in an allowance to start off the
year. The duel stakes-placed daughter of Smart Strike will try to rebound in
this spot after tiring to fourth in the final sixteenth of the Woodbine Oaks
after chasing the early pace.
Completing Sunday’s Bison City field are Cabo Queen, who was fourth three
weeks ago in the Alywow, and stakes debuter Big Brown Brookski.
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