Gray’s Fable tops speedy allowance cast

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Grade 3 Appleton winner Gray’s Fable heads an accomplished six-horse field in Sunday’s featured open allowance at Woodbine, which is scheduled for seven furlongs on the main turf.

A late-blooming 6-yearold trained by Roger Attfield, Gray’s Fable won 3 of 9 starts last year while clearing the first two allowance conditions. He came up big off a six-month layoff on March 27 at Gulfstream in the one-mile Appleton, leading all the way to prevail by two lengths in a quick final time of 1:32.64.

Gray’s Fable earned his second straight 95 Beyer Speed Figure when third after setting the pace in the Opening Verse Stakes on April 29 at Churchill. Most recently on May 29, he was impeded at the break before setting the pace and then tiring to fourth in the Douglas Park Stakes at Churchill.

Gray’s Fable is going back on Lasix on Sunday. Daisuke Fukumoto will break him from post 1.

Two speedy sons of Silent Name, Silent Poet and Not So Quiet, are coming off the sidelines. They were both finalists in the last year’s Sovereign Awards voting for Canadian champion male sprinter, an award won by Pink Lloyd.

Silent Poet won 4 of 6 starts last year, the highlight of which was a victory in the Grade 2 Nearctic. His ability to run strongly when fresh was on display when taking his season debut in an inner-turf allowance, followed by a hard-fought score in the Grade 2 Connaught Cup.

Justin Stein will ride Silent Poet for trainer Nick Gonzalez. Like Gray’s Fable, he’s done the bulk of his damage on the lead, but has been successful racing from a stalking position on occasion.

Not So Quiet chased the mighty Pink Lloyd home in three straight Tapeta stakes last summer, before showing an affinity for the inner turf in October. He won two Ontariosired turf stakes, the fivefurlong Vice Regent and the 7 1/2-furlong Overskate.

Not So Quiet appears to need the lead to be effective in longer sprints. Kazushi Kimura inherits the mount on the 6-yearold from the sidelined Rafael Hernandez.

Trainer Mark Casse entered Not So Quiet and the unbeaten Brazilian import Filo Di Arianna, a 5-year-old who has been idle for more than two years since his last victory in Group 2 company. Emma-Jayne Wilson has the mount.

Eskiminzin could be in the catbird seat if all the protagonists with speed go at it tooth and nail. After a layoff, he found the mark twice last July, winning a second-level allowance on the inner turf and an open allowance on the main course. He went over the top in the fall.

Longshot Royal Laser would be a big surprise against the toughest field he’s ever faced.

Post time for Sunday’s 10-race card is 1:20 p.m.