Regally bred Gale Force ceded the benefit of prior racing experience to her seven rivals, but got the job done nonetheless at first asking in the Saturday feature at Woodbine. The chestnut prepared extensively at Woodbine dating back to early June and took solid support as the third choice in the wagering. Away without incident, the Mark Casse trainee skimmed the rail around the opening bend as longshot I'll Take the Cake (Nobiz Like Shobiz) led through fractions of :24.38 and :48.94. Moving to the front with a pair of rivals on the far turn, she turned for home in the two path between horses as stablemate Let It Ride Mom seized control. Gale Force was fully extended in midstretch and muscled past the leader along the inside to prevail in determined fashion.
“I just didn't want to rush her,” said jockey Eurico Rosa Da Silva. “She was so relaxed, her ears were up. She made the lead, and saw another horse come outside and pass her. She dug in– she's so nice.”
Gale Force gave trainer Mark Casse his fourth win in the past five runnings of the Mazarine and his sixth overall victory in the race.
Pedigree Notes:
Gale Force's millionaire dam Sealy Hill enjoyed a stellar 2007 season, garnering honors as Canada's Horse of the Year, Champion Grass Mare and Champion 3-year-old Filly. She wrapped up her career with a runner-up finish in the 2008 GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare. Sealy Hill has also excelled as a broodmare, producing 2014 Canadian Champion Female Sprinter Hillaby and GIII Autumn Miss S. heroine Belle Hill (Sky Mesa). She is also responsible for a yearling filly by Tiznow who sold for $275,000 at Keeneland November in 2015, as well as a filly by Medaglia d'Oro in 2016.
Saturday, Woodbine
MAZARINE S.-GIII, C$154,800, WO, 10-8, 2yo, f, 1 1/16m (AWT), 1:44.96, ft.
1–+#@GALE FORCE, 116, f, 2, by Giant's Causeway
1st Dam: Sealy Hill (Horse of the Year, Ch. 3yo Filly & Ch. Grass Mare-Can & MSW & MGISP, $1,747,081), by Point Given
2nd Dam: Boston Twist, by Boston Harbor
3rd Dam: Chou Chou, by Premiership
($240,000 RNA Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-Dixiana Farms LLC; B-Regis
Farms LP (KY); T-Mark E. Casse; J-Eurico Rosa Da Silva.
C$90,000. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $67,680. *1/2 to Hillaby
(Distorted Humor), Ch. Female Sprinter-Can & GSW, $282,265;
and Belle Hill (Sky Mesa), GSW, $173,565. Werk Nick Rating:
A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″]2–Let It Ride Mom, 114, f, 2, Into Mischief–Golden Marlin, by
Marlin. ($77,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP; $375,000 2yo '16 OBSMAR).
O-Live Oak Plantation; B-Tim Thornton, Robert Watt, Doug
Glass & Greg Foley (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. C$30,000.[bullet ad=”woodford-winning”]3–Spring Tempest, 118, f, 2, Spring At Last–Hold the Sugar, by
Forest Wildcat. (C$20,000 Ylg '15 CANSEP). O-Beverly
Lewis-Owens & Steve Owens; B-James A. Everatt, Janeane A.
Everatt & J. Arika Everatt-Meeuse (ON); T-Steve Owens.
C$18,000.[bullet ad=”ontario-bred-sold”]Margins: HD, 1HF, 3/4. Odds: 4.25, 1.65, 4.40.
Also Ran: Lemon Zip, Now Play Nice, Just Be Kind, Matching Vows, I'll Take the Cake.
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