Grafton Street back in training

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Mark Casse said the promising 2-year-old Grafton Street is back in training after a freshening following his bangup fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar.

After shipping in from Saratoga, Grafton Street rallied for second behind favored Albahr in the Grade 1 Summer on the grass here Sept. 19.

Three weeks later, Grafton Street won a 1 1/16-mile maiden special on the Tapeta. That set him up nicely for his Breeders’ Cup engagement on Nov. 5, when he closed three wide to open up a clear lead in the stretch before losing by 1 3/4 lengths to Modern Games. He came out on the short end of a three-way place photo.

“The long-term plan is the big turf races at Keeneland and Churchill in the spring,” Casse said regarding the son of War Front, who’s owned by Mrs. John Magnier.

Grafton Street is a unique contender for Canadian champion male 2-year-old honors in that he hasn’t won a stakes, but he wouldn’t be the first 2-yearold non-stakes winner to be voted the Sovereign Award. Dawson’s Legacy turned the trick in 1997 after ending up second to Favorite Trick in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Hollywood.

Heritage Series to return

Indications are that the Ontario Sire Heritage Series will be back for a second year in 2022 and perhaps for the foreseeable future. The stakes series for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds concluded here last Friday on the Tapeta with Lorena winning the $100,000 Ashbridges Bay for fillies and Artie’s Storm taking the $100,000 Lake Ontario for colts and geldings.

The series commenced on the inner turf here Aug. 7, when Artful Ballerina won the $80,000 Georgian Bay for fillies and Forest Survivor captured the $80,000 Lake Huron for colts and geldings. It continued on the dirt at Fort Erie on Sept. 14, when Red Equinox captured the $80,000 Rondeau Bay for fillies and Red River Rebel took the $80,000 Lake Erie for the boys. It moved back here to the main turf Oct. 22, when Lorena won the $80,000 Thunder Bay and Secret Reserve prevailed in the $80,000 Lake Superior.

Secret Reserve’s second-place finish in the Lake Ontario was good enough to edge out Artie’s Storm for the leading points earner among males in the series, enabling his owners to pocket a $20,000 bonus. Lorena’s owners collected $20,000 for her domination of the filly division.

◗ This year’s Queen’s Plate winner Safe Conduct is entered in Friday’s $150,000 Gio Ponti Stakes, which is scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on turf at Aqueduct. Trained by Phil Serpe, Safe Conduct faded to finish eighth after setting the pace over yielding turf in the 1 1/2-mile Breeders’ Stakes here Oct. 3.

◗ Post time for Thursday’s card has been pushed back to 1:35 p.m. The eight-race allTapeta program is made up exclusively of claimers, including a $25,000 maiden dash for 2-year-old fillies with a field of 12.