Lack of turf experience in maiden sprint

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Inner-turf racing at the Woodbine meet commences on Thursday’s twilight card with two five-furlong dashes for fillies and mares, including a maiden special with a base purse of $72,000.

Star Candy and Cara Cara are the lone entrants in the sixth race with turf experience.

Trained by Mark Casse, Star Candy was a prominent second, beaten just half-length to Courtly Ro, when debuting in a seven-furlong maiden special on the main course Aug. 20. A month later, the daughter of Candy Ride led the way before fading to eighth behind Last Call and Cairo Consort in the Grade 1 Natalma.

When turning back from a mile to 5 1/2 furlongs in a Nov. 5 maiden special on the Tapeta, Star Candy pressed the pace in the two path over a rail-biased track before fading to fifth as the tepid favorite.

Star Candy has been working on a regular schedule for her first start in seven months. Patrick Husbands retains the mount on the Live Oak homebred.

Cara Cara was a distant fourth behind two future stakes winners in an ultra-key Ontario-sired maiden special with a $40,000 claiming option at first asking Sept. 10. Two weeks later, she set a quick pace before fading to fourth and was subsequently placed third in the restricted Victorian Queen Stakes on the main turf.

Kazushi Kimura will get a leg up from trainer John Mattine on Cara Cara, an Ontario-bred Signature Red filly owned by Norseman Racing Stable.

There are four first-time starters in the nine-horse field, including Get Out the Vote, Miss Brianna, and Yorkshire.

Get Out the Vote is by the good 13 percent turf sprint sire More Than Ready, who has sired 10 percent first-out winners in North America. The $7,000 purchase is the first foal from a useful sprinter who was unplaced on turf. Ownertrainer Nick Nosowenko, who is starting her off with blinkers and Lasix, has won at a 5 percent clip with debuters going back five years, with a return on investment of $1.35.

Miss Brianna is by the 12 percent debut sire Astern, who has sired a superb 16 percent winners in grass sprints. Miss Brianna’s dam was a stakeswinning sprinter who was unplaced on the grass. None of her five turf starters won, but she’s the dam of stakes-winning sprinter Phil’s Cocktail and stakes-placed Majestic Sunset.

Yorkshire is by Flintshire, a Grade 1-winning millionaire on turf who has been a lowpercentage debut and turf sire. Her dam was a Grade 3-placed grass expert who produced two winners from four turf starters, including a multiple stakesplaced runner in England.

Summer Snow, a fresh new face on the local scene, is making her first turf start with a dirt-oriented pedigree. Formerly trained by Mark Hennig, she makes her debut for owner-trainer Tony Gattellaro. The 4-year-old has never been better than fourth in her five starts, all on the dirt in New York.

Post time for the first race on Thursday is 4:50 p.m.