BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Florida-bred Biz Biz Buzz will make his way north of the border Sunday for the CA$100,000 Thorncliffe, a five-and-a-half-furlong contest over Woodbine’s synthetic main track. The Live Oak Plantation homebred is 6-1 on the morning line and has the outside post in the field of nine 4-year-olds and older.
Biz Biz Buzz will be making his first start of 2023 as the 5-year-old gelded son of Fed Biz tries to earn his first black-type victory in the Thorncliffe. The Michael Trombetta trainee finished his 2023 campaign with a fifth-place finish in the $100,000 Janus on Dec. 31 while finishing just a length-and-a-half behind winner Panther Island in the five-furlong sprint on the Gulfstream Park turf.
He was also a close fourth, just more than two lengths behind Nobals in the $153,000 Korbel Da Hoss going five-and-a-half furlongs on the grass at Colonial Downs in September before finishing out of the money in a Keeneland allowance race at the same distance on Oct. 15.
He won two of his seven starts last year with both victories coming at five-and-a-half furlongs on the turf at Monmouth Park. He defeated first condition allowance horses on July 2 then won a second condition, $30,000 optional claiming on Aug. 12.
Out of Our Candy Striper, by Candy Ride (Arg), Biz Biz Buzz has a career record of four wins, four seconds and three thirds in 18 career starts with earnings of $226,715.
Trombetta has given the riding assignment on Biz Biz Buzz to Rafael Hernandez.
Gary Barber, Pantofel Stable LLC and Wachtel Stable’s Candy Overload has been labeled as the 2-1 morning line favorite and will break from post five.
The 6-year-old gelding is going for his second consecutive stakes victory after winning the $95,000 Big Daddy over six furlongs on the Turfway Park synthetic main track on March 9.
Trained by Mark Casse, Candy Overload has won four of his 17 career starts at Woodbine with six seconds and a third including a second-place finish to Thorncliffe rival Rockcrest in the CA$101,000 Pink Lloyd for Ontario-breds there on June 4. Last year he won the CA$98,000 Forego going six-and-a-half furlongs on the main track at Woodbine in February and the Grade 2 Kennedy Road there in 2022 going six furlongs.
Candy Overload is by Reload out of Mini Candy, by Candy Ride (Arg) and Patrick Husbands will guide him from post five.
Owned and trained by Nigel Burke, Rockcrest looks for his first victory since the aforementioned Pink Lloyd. Rockcrest also travels to Woodbine from Gulfstream Park where he was third in an upper level, $62,500 optional claiming won by Sweet Cherry Pie going six furlongs on the main track on March 24. In one other start at Gulfstream over the winter, the 7-year-old gelding was seventh in the $106,000 Silks Run won by Coppola on March 9 going five furlongs on the turf.
Rachel Slevinsky will ride Rockcrest from post two and they are 12-1 in the program.
Rounding out the field are Jazz Hands with Shane Ellis named to ride, Light the Lamp will carry Luis Conteras, Husbands is also named on Armstong, Ironstone with jockey Ryan Munger, Sky’s Not Falling has Jose Campos set to ride and Flag of Honor will have Emma-Jayne Wilson aboard.
