BY BROCK SHERIDAN
A winner of the Grade 3 Selene on synthetic in her last start, Florida-bred Sabatini will try turf for the first time in Saturday’s Grade 3 Ontario Colleen at Woodbine. A large field of 13 3-year-old fillies, including the top three finishers from the Selene, will race a mile for a purse of CA$135,000.
Sabatini was a two-length winner of the mile-and-a-sixteenth Selene at Woodbine on June 29, defeating runner-up Crevalle d’Oro and third-place finisher Witwatersrand. The Ontario Colleen will also present the rubber match between Witwatersrand and Sabatini after they finished first and second respectively in the $102,000 Ruling Angel presented by Ketel One going seven furlongs on the Woodbine main track on May 18.
Trained by Josie Carroll for LNJ Foxwoods and NK Racing, Sabatini has won half of her four starts including the $128,000 Star Shoot going six furlongs at Woodbine on April 27. She was third in a Turfway Park maiden special weight won by Do It Divi going six furlongs on synthetic in her debut in March.
Sofia Vives and Sabatini – ©Michael Burns
Bred in Florida by Bridlewood Farm, Sabatini was purchased by Solis/Litt for $625,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic
Sale where she was consigned by Pick View. She has since earned $138,376.
Sabatini is by Uncle Mo out of Gabriellestoblame, by Blame and will again be ridden by Ocala, Florida’s Sofia Vives from post seven.
Previous Florida-bred winners of the Ontario Colleen are Our Flash Drive in 2021 and Speed Seeker in 2014.
Crevalle d’Oro has the advantage of winning over the Woodbine turf after taking a non-winners of two, $50,000 optional claiming going six-and-a-half furlongs there on June 15.
She won a mile-and-a-sixteenth maiden special weight on the turf at Gulfstream Park in January before finishing off the board in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks on the Tampa Bay Downs turf on March 9.
One of three fillies in the race trained by Mark Casse, Crevalle d’Oro is by Constitution out of Sonoma d’Oro, by Medaglia d’Oro and has a lifetime record of two wins, three seconds and two thirds in eight starts with earnings of $130,100.
Luis Contreras has the mount on Crevalle d’Oro and they will break from post six.
Casse will also saddle Witwatersrand and Time to Dazzle.
Like her stablemate, Witwatersrand was unsuccessful in the Florida Oaks, finishing 11th in her only race on grass.
A bay daughter of Connect owned by Gary Barber, Witwatersrand counts a victory in last year’s Grade 3 Mazarine at Woodbine among her three career wins while also racking up two thirds with earnings of $164,422.
Casse has named Patrick Husbands to ride Witwatersrand from post 10.
Time to Dazzle looks for her first victory since winning a first condition, $75,000 optional claiming taken off the turf and switched to a mile-and-70-yards on the synthetic at Gulfstream in December. In two races since, she was seventh in the $125,000 Ginger Brew in January and sixth in the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie in March, both going a mile on the grass at Gulfstream.
Time to Dazzle has won two of five lifetime races with earnings of $76,169. The daughter of Not This Time will have jockey Sahin Civaci from post nine.
Other fillies set for the Ontario Colleen are Grecian Goddess, who will be ridden by Trevor McCarthy; Rosa and jockey Pietro Moran, Simply In Front with pilot Justin Stein, Ryan Munger rides Uphill Dance, Escasty will have Fraser Aebly in the saddle, Ready for Shirl with jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson, Miss Roberts and rider Keveh Nichols and Rafael Hernandez rides Airosa.
