ETOBICOKE, Ontario – A sharp Dancingall Theway will seek his third consecutive score Wednesday night at Woodbine in the $125,000 Shepperton Stakes. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint for Ontario-sired runners has lured a good field that also includes the 2008 Queen’s Plate winner, Not Bourbon, along with Grazettes Landing and Paso Doble.
Dancingall Theway spent last winter at Gulfstream before returning to the local scene, and was victorious in a six and a half-furlong optional claimer in his next-to-last outing on the Polytrack.
Dancingall Theyway ran the race of his life last time in another Ontario-sired stakes, the New Providence. He came wide from third over an inside-biased track in that six-furlong event, and won with determination in 1:09.32, a time which earned him a big but perhaps inflated 102 Beyer Speed Figure.
Trainer Lorne Richards said Dancingall Theway has been idle since the June 9 New Providence because of a lack of opportunities.
“There wasn’t really a whole lot for him,” Richards said. “He seems to do well with lots of time, and we didn’t want to run him back too quickly after the last one. He’s had his issues over the years, but right now, he’s not doing too badly.”
Richards said Dancingall Theyway’s Achilles’ heel is that he doesn’t enjoy running inside of horses.
“He’s twice the horse outside as he is inside,” Richards explained. “It didn’t seem to be as much of an issue when he ran on the turf at Gulfstream. He doesn’t care for the kickback too much. The only bad races he’s had were when he got stuck down on the inside.”
Patrick Husbands will ride Dancingall Theway, who drew post 6 in the nine-horse field.
Not Bourbon captured an Ontario-sired allowance when he returned from a 20-month absence May 12. He subsequently finished fifth after a wide trip on the grass in the Grade 3 Connaught Cup Stakes, and was a nonthreatening fifth most recently in the six-furlong Highlander Stakes on the lawn.
Grazettes Landing won the five-furlong Debut Stakes opening day, and then finished fifth with a career high 99 Beyer in the rapidly-run Vigil Stakes. He could only manage third as the favorite in the New Providence, and was a clear second most recently on turf in the Ontario Jockey Club Stakes.
Paso Doble, who raced in fourth throughout the New Providence, could revert back to his usual front-running style.
