Las Vegas, NV – The Grade 2 Eclipse Stakes is on tap for this Sunday, June 7 from Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. Horses four years old and upward will take to Woodbine’s All Weather Track and race 1 1/16 miles for a purse of $200,000.
A field of six will give it a go in the Eclipse Stakes – race 8 on Woodbine’s Sunday schedule. Post time is 4:45 PM. Here is a peek into the past performances of all six entries for this Grade 2 stakes.
His Race to Win – two-time grade III winner at Woodbine was last seen running a decent second in the Grade 3 Durham Cup Stakes on this track in October which followed an eighth in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile and a win in the Grade 3 Seagram Cup Stakes here August 3. He has one other graded stakes score – the Grade 3 Ontario Derby in September, 2013. His Race to Win has five wins, four seconds and three third place finishes in 18 career starts and enters in OK form having placed in four of his last six starts overall. Eurico Rosa Da Silva been tabbed with getting the co-highweight back in the winner’s circle for the second time in four starts when he departs from gate 4 in his first race of 2015.
Florida Won – Mark Casse trained colt has eight career starts with two wins, one second and two third place finishes. Last time out was a pedestrian fifth in an Allowance Optional Claiming here May 22 which followed his career best effort – a win in the 2014 Grade 3 Ontario Derby here back in September and another fifth in the minor Toronto Cup here July 20. He looks to duplicate his impressive win two starts back when he lines up in gate 6 with Patrick Husbands aboard.
Za Approval – had a win, a second and a third place finish in six starts last year and has placed in two of five starts this year. Last time out was a third in the Grade 3 Vigil Stakes on this track in his synthetic debut May 17 which followed a fifth in the Grade 1 Maker’s 46 Mile, a fourth in the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile, a good second in the Grade 2 Arcadia Stakes at Santa Anita January 31 and a fourth in the Grade 2 Ft. Lauderdale Stakes at Gulfstream, January 10. He had a second in the Grade 2 Seabiscuit Handicap at Del Mar November 28, a win in the minor Real Courage Stakes at Belmont Park September 7 and the third in the Grade 3 Poker Stakes as well. Za Approval was at his best in 2013 – a second behind Wise Dan in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, wins in the Grade 3 Knickerbocker Stakes, Grade 3 Red Bank Stakes and Grade 3 Appleton Stakes and he had two good runner-up finishes in Grade 1 races as well – the Shoemaker Mile and the Woodbine Mile. Za Approval is the most experienced entry in the field and enters in so-so form. He is 0-for-his-last-11 in graded stakes action however and will have Patrick Husbands in the saddle from post 5.
Avie’s Quality – has four wins, a second and two third place finishes in 12 career starts for trainer Josie Carroll and has won two of his last three overall. Last time out was an Allowance Optional Claiming score here May 10 after an eleventh in the Grade 3 WL McKnight Handicap in December and an Allowance Optional Claiming score in November at Gulfstream Park West. Avie’s Quality looks to place in stakes company for the first time in his third try when he departs from the rail with Luis Contreras in the saddle.
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Are You Kidding Me – finished an OK third in his only 2015 start – in the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile at Golden Gate. He finished 2014 with a disappointing sixth in the Grade 2 Autumn Stakes at Woodbine after he posted a decent third after leading the majority of the way in the Grade 3 Durham Cup October 4 and a fifth in the Grade 2 King Edward Stakes in June. He registered an impressive win – by four lengths in the Grade 3 Kent Stakes at Delaware Park in September, 2013 but has placed in just two of five starts since that race. He now has 18 career starts with three wins, three seconds and four third place finishes and will be looking for his first win in 20 months Sunday. Alan Garcia gets the call from post 2.
Midnight Aria – winner of the 2013 version of Canada’s biggest race in wire-to-wire fashion at 16-1 odds – the Queen’s Plate has just six starts since. After 13 months away he returned to action August 8, 2014 and posted a sixth in an Allowance Optional Claiming and followed that with an Allowance Optional Claiming score in gate-to-wire September 28. He has been just OK since – a third in the Grade 2 Autumn Stakes here in November was followed by an ugly eleventh in the Grade 2 Hawthorne Gold Cup, a thirteenth in the Grade 3 WL McKnight Handicap in December and a second in his only 2015 start – an Allowance Optional Claiming on this track in May. Midnight Aria has 15 career starts with three wins, two seconds and six third place finishes and hopes to channel some of his Queen’s Plate form as looks for his first stakes score. Jesse Campbell has the mount from post 3.
Race 8 on Woodbine Racetrack’s Sunday card with a Post Time of 4:45 PM.
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