Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Rose’s Vision emerging as Queen’s Plate contender
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Chiefswood Stable entered a different horse in each leg of last year’s Canadian Triple Crown and came away with runner-up finishes in each race, with Tiz a Slam in the Queen’s Plate, Aurora Way in the Prince of Wales Stakes, and Final Copy in the Breeders’ Stakes. The stable’s depth is on display again this year in the lead-up to the Queen’s Plate, with top contenders Neepawa and Pipers Warrior along with Rose’s Vision, who has emerged in his last two starts.
Rose’s Vision made four starts last season as a 2-yearold, including a third-place finish in the Cup and Saucer Stakes and a pair of runner-up finishes in maiden races. After finishing eighth in his 3-yearold debut on dirt at Gulfstream Park in January, he’s won his last two starts, both on turf – a maiden race at Gulfstream on Feb. 24 and an allowance at Keeneland on April 12.
“We want to try the 3-yearolds on the dirt just to see where it can take you,” trainer Stuart Simon said. “He trained okay, but when we ran him, he didn’t relish it. He just started scrambling and couldn’t catch that gear he needed to to compete. We got him back on the turf. He ran well to break his maiden from an outside hole at Gulfstream, and then he ran even a better race at Keeneland. He’s really maturing and coming around at the right time.”
Simon said Rose’s Vision is on the Queen’s Plate trail and will start in the Grade 3, $125,000 Marine Stakes next Sunday.
“Hopefully, all goes well in the Marine and then the Plate,” he said.
Dixie Moon to Selene Stakes
The $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies, is about a month away on June 9, and Dixie Moon will have her final prep race May 19 in the Grade 3, $125,000 Selene Stakes, trainer Catherine Day Phillips said.
Following her sixth-place run in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar last November, Dixie Moon returned to Woodbine to win the Ontario Lassie Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on Tapeta to close out her campaign Dec. 3. She wintered with Day Phillips at the Palm Meadows training center in Florida and made her 3-year-old debut finishing ninth in the Grade 2 Appalachian Stakes at Keeneland on April 8.
Dixie Moon, Day Phillips said, “had a little bit of some funky blood work come back” after the Appalachian, but she’s not sure that was the reason for her performance.
“Maybe she wasn’t tight enough,” she said, adding that she may not have liked the softer turf there.
“We pulled her blood on Monday, and she’s all back in order. She’s in good shape. She had a nice breeze last weekend with [jockey Eurico Da Silva] back on board.”
Day Phillips said the Selene will help determine if Dixie Moon continues on to the Oaks or returns to turf, the surface on which Dixie Moon defeated males in the Cup and Saucer Stakes last season.
Cool Catomine in allowance
A second-level allowance over seven furlongs on Tapeta headlines the 10-race Sunday card at Woodbine. Trainer John Ross will send out 2017 Prince of Wales Stakes winner Cool Catomine for his 4-year-old debut and his first start since finishing sixth in an allowance Nov. 1.
Carded as race 7, the allowance drew a full field of 12. One of the key contenders is Ault, who may have a fitness edge following three starts in turf allowances at Gulfstream Park over the winter, all for trainer Pat Parente. Ault won twice on Woodbine’s Tapeta last season.
Roxy’s Vision hit the board in all five of his starts in 2017, all for trainer Ian Black, finishing third in both the seven-furlong Overskate Stakes in October and the Sir Barton Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on Dec. 2. He was placed second in the Sir Barton following the disqualification of Mr. Havercamp.
Other contenders include Giant Storm, Slip Kid, and Colonel Samsen.