October 30, 2023
TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon
Rose to the Occasion
Olivia Rose rode into Woodbine this past Saturday entered in both the Frost King and South Ocean Stakes. Tasked with deciding which event to run her in, the filly’s connections opted for the latter, and it’s safe to say they made the right call.
Olivia Rose cruised to a 6 ½-length victory in the 6 ½-furlong contest for Ontario-sired 2-year-old fillies. Closing at 7-5, the Mark Casse trainee did exactly what she was forecasted to do, improving her career line to 2-0-2 from five starts in the process.
It was nothing but smooth sailing for Casse and company, who captured his fifth South Ocean title to lead all trainers.
For the win, Olivia Rose paid $4.90.
Winning is the Only Option
The second headliner on Woodbine’s Saturday card featured some added flair thanks to an unexpected hero.
Written off with his back against the wall, the only option No More Options had left was win. Going off at 16-1, the second longest shot on the board, the 2-year-old colt patiently stalked the pace before shifting gears down the stretch to slide past a drained bunch for the 2 ½-length score.
The landmark win was the second of No More Options young career, pushing his lifetime line to 2-0-2 in four starts. It was also the fourth of five wins on the day for Woodbine’s leading rider Kazushi Kimura, who swept both of the day’s stakes.
No More Options paid a healthy $34.20 for the dramatic win.
World Traveler
Chilean-bred O’Connor (CHI) can finally add “North American Graded Stakes Winner” to his diverse racing resume.
At 5-1, the 6-year-old eked out a victory in the 66th running of the $350,000 Hagyard Fayette (G2) this past Saturday at Keeneland.
How close of an eke was it? O’Connor prevailed by a head in what came down to a three-horse photo finish that also included Il Miracolo (5-1) and Speed Bias (13-1).
The first win outside of his native Chile was his first in eight tries on the North American circuit and 11th in 26 tries overall.
Chile’s Horse of the Year for the 2021-22 season paid $12.92 for the landmark triumph.
Maid for the Moment
A podium regular to start her career, My Mane Squeeze took home stakes win number one this past Sunday in the Maid of the Mist Stakes at Aqueduct.
The $200,000 dash for 2-year-old fillies bred in New York was one of eight statebred stakes as part of Aqueduct’s Empire Showcase Day. Coming in, My Mane Squeeze had never finished outside the top three in three career races. She was able to keep that streak alive with top rider Irad Ortiz Jr. calling the shots through showery conditions.
My Mane Squeeze closed at 5-1, tied with Dylan Davis mount Cara’s Time for the second lowest odds behind 2-5 favorite Caldwell Luvs Gold, who ended up in third.
The encouraging effort returned $12.20.
It Takes Two
West Sunset (8-1) and Gin Gin (9-1) gave bettors some extra spending money after finishing 1-2 in the $200,000 Rags to Riches Stakes at Churchill Downs on Sunday afternoon.
The pair faced quite the test in 1-9 favorite V V’s Dream, who entered as the only horse to compete in and win a graded stakes. However, a slow start for the Pocahontas Stakes (G3) champion proved to be too much to overcome.
West Sunset and Gin Gin both took full advantage of V V’s Dream’s nightmare start to secure the most impressive tallies of their respective careers. For West Sunset, the win was her second in two tries. Gin Gin on the other hand improved her lifetime line to 1-2-0 from three starts.
On her own, West Sunset returned $17.72 for the win. A $2 4-7 exacta paid $51.68.
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