BC Entry on the Line at Woodbine

A quartet of big stakes races highlight this weekend’s card at Woodbine, with the winners of all four gaining direct entry into the 2013 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, November 1-2, 2013 at Santa Anita. On Saturday, Woodbine hosts the $200,000 Grade II Summer Stakes, a one-mile test for juveniles on the turf. Also on Saturday, juvenile fillies will contest the one-mile $200,000 Grade II Natalma Stakes, also on the grass. The winner of the Summer goes to the BC Juvenile Turf, while the winner of the Natalma gets a spot in the BC Fillies Turf.

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With little on the resume Juvenile races wide open

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With four entered in the 10-horse field for the Natalma, trainer Mark Casse would seem to have the upper hand in the race. He does have the morning line favorite in Spring Likeacobra at 3-1, but that one needed an all-out drive to narrowly break her maiden last time out and will be challenged, likely by Ready to Act, a winner first time out. One of Casse’s others, My Conquestadory, is cross-entered in the Summer, where she’d face ML favorite Asserting Bear, whose sire, Bear’s Kid, won the same race in 2005.

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Wise Dan makes his Woodbine return in the Mile

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Sunday at Woodbine will feature the Grade II $300,000 Canadian Stakes, for fillies and mares three-years-old and up run 1 1/8 miles on the turf. The winner of that one will go to the BC Filly and Mare Turf, and the field is headed by Solid Appeal (5-2), winner of the Dance Smartly and Nassau Stakes earlier this year at Woodbine. That race will be followed later by the Grade I, $1,000,000 Ricoh Woodbine Mile, featuring mile superstar Wise Dan, the defending champ and also winner of last year’s BC Mile, who is a heavy 2-5 favorite.

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