Page 53 - Canada Spring 2021

QROOI Sprint Stakes Series 1
Ajax Downs • $15,787 110 yards • :6.950 • si 96
Coronas Prospect
Prospect To The Top
CARNEROS, ‘15-g.
Cream To The Top
Valiant Hero
Cakebread And Thou
Bicoastal
CARNEROS
by Michael Cusortelli
Making his fourth start of
the 2020 Ajax Downs meet, Carneros broke sharply and on
top from the 2-post and sped to a 1/2-length victory in the $15,787 QROOI Sprint Series Stakes 1
on July 22.
Carneros covered 110 yards in :6.950 while aided by a reported 11-mph tail wind. Conditioner Jason Pascoe traines the five-year- old Prospect To The Top gelding for owner Milena Kwiecien of Burlington, Ontario.
Carneros was shortening in distance off of a wire-to-wire 2-length victory in a 300-yard speed index race (75 and under) on July 15.
Raced in four states and prov- inces, including Michigan, Iowa and Oklahoma, Carneros has won 10 of 28 career outs, and the $6,718 winner’s share of the purse from his first stakes score boosted his earnings to $78,776. The gelding’s resume includes second-place finishes in the 2017
John Deere Ajax Downs Juvenile Challenge and 2018 Picov Derby, both at Ajax Downs.
Also, Carneros holds Ajax Downs’ 110-yard track record of :6.77, which he set in an allow- ance dash on June 16, 2019.
Stone Chase Stables LLC
bred Carneros out of winner Cakebread And Thou, who is
a half-sister to Sam Houston Derby-G2 winner Bens Coasting, a runner-up in the Heritage
Place Derby-G1 and Quicksilver Stakes; and Heritage Place Futurity-G1 winner Coastal Memories, a finalist in the Classic Chevrolet Heartbeat of America Handicap-RG3. Carneros is Cakebread And Thou’s first foal. The gelding’s second dam is win- ner Bicoastal.
Jess A Sweet Suprize (Sweet First Down-Jess Curl My Prize), the even-money favorite in the seven-horse field, pocketed $3,359 for his runner-up effort. Cory Spataro rode the 4-year-old bay
mare for owner/trainer Craig Spada.The filly was a finalist in the 2018 Alex Picov Memorial Futurity as well as the 2019 Alex Picov Memorial Derby.
Zoxtobeyou (Pappasito-A Leading Memory) finished third, a nose behind the runner-up,
for owner Steve Hunter. Regan Knowles rode the homebred 6-year-old gelding for trainer Janet Grice. The gelding was a finalist in the 2017 Picov Derby.
Arctic Fame (Dash To The Arctic-Magic Ta Fame) ran fourth. In a deadheat for fifth were Queens Award (Winners Award-Copper State Queen) and Countrys Comin Bac (Country Chicks Man-Bac To Center), followed by Eye Am Potato (Teller Cartel-Double
Two Stepper).
SPEEDHORSE CANADA Spring 2021 53
JULY 22, 2020