ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Don’s Folly seems better suited to the seven furlongs than some of the other contenders in Wednesday’s $125,000 Overskate at Woodbine, and he will be looking to notch his second consecutive stakes in the race for Ontario-sired runners.
Don’s Folly’s first stakes triumph took place three years ago at 2 in the seven-furlong Simcoe, which was for graduates of local yearling sales. He missed all of 2008, and had 1 win in 5 starts last year, which came in Ontario-sired allowance company.
Don’s Folly ended a long drought in another yearling sales stakes Sept. 6, the six-furlong Kenora, in which he came from off a rapid pace to score by a neck over Drunken Love and Flashy Yankee.
Trainer Ian Black said Don’s Folly has retained his sharpness heading into the Overskate.
“He came back and breezed really well last weekend,” said Black. “He seems like he’s in good order right now.”
Sand Cove should be well backed in the Overskate, even though is seven-furlong form is spotty. His lone score at that distance came in an Ontario-sired allowance early in his career.
Sand Cove captured two 1 1/16-mile stakes this year, the Grade 3 Seagram Cup and the Steady Growth, but could manage only third last time as the big favorite in the restricted Elgin.
Mobthewarrior is turning back off a commendable second-place finish in the 1 1/16-mile Elgin. He won the seven-furlong Frost King Stakes last year at 2.
“Seven furlongs to a mile is probably his optimum distance,” said trainer Greg De Gannes. “His last race was his first against older horses, and I thought he gave a good account of himself.”
Dancingall Theway had clear sailing on the outside when he took the six-furlong New Providence Stakes with a Beyer Speed Figure of 102 on June 9. Most recently, Aug. 4 in another Ontario-sired stakes, the Shepperton, he trailed the eight-horse field after a far-from-ideal inside trip.
Trainer Lorne Richards said Dancingall Theway does his best running outside of rivals.
“He’s a little guy, and doesn’t like getting too much dirt in his face, or having anybody on the outside of him,” Richards said.
Officeinthevalley defeated Ontario-sired 3-year-olds last time on the grass, in the one-mile Vice Regent Stakes. He won his previous race on Polytrack in a six-furlong allowance.
Front-runners Drunken Love and Daniel Be Good should ensure a quick pace.
