Page 51 - Canada Spring 2022

A A n n g g i i e e P P a a t t t t e e r r s s o o n n o o r r W W a a t t s s o o n n ’ ’s s F F o o t t o o S S o o u u r r c c e e & & S S t t u u d d i i o o
AUGUST 4, 2021
Ajax Downs • $48,683 300 yards • :15.739 • si 83
El Night Shift NIGHT LEADER, ‘19-g.
Bajillion
Royal Shake Em
Takin In The Night Special Leader Curls Girl
Ontario Bred Futurity
NIGHT LEADER
by John Moorehouse
In Scott Reid’s opinion, Night Leader improves every time he steps out onto a racetrack. If that trend contin-
ues, the two-year-old gelding’s win by daylight in the $48,683 Ontario Bred Futurity won’t be the only stakes vic- tory on his record.
Simultaneously breaking his maiden, Night Leader won decisively in the Aug. 4 event at Ajax Downs, opening a 1 1/2-length lead as he entered the stretch and hitting the wire with that same margin. Reid trains the gelding and co-owns him with John S. Wilson. Reid and Wilson went in as partners to buy both Night Leader from his breeder, Edith Slater.
“We figured we kind of have twice the chance if one of them performed
well,” Reid explained.
Night Leader certainly performed
well here. He finished this 300-yard event in :15.739, posting an 83 speed index. The $20,076 winner’s share from this race improved the bay geld- ing’s total earnings to $24,321.
“Honestly I had high expectations of him,” Reid said “He seems like the kind of horse that learns something every time he runs and he gets better. “
This marked the third start of his career and rider Josh Scott has been in the irons for every one of them.
“He’s riding as my first call rider right now,” Reid said of Scott. “He’s been riding the vast majority of my horses, so he’s been on [Night Leader] since his first workout at Ajax, even the
first time he went to Ajax to gallop.” Sean Slater owns Bajillion, the
dam of Night Leader. The 2008 mare logged three wins in her 16-race career. Reid already has his sights set on
entering Night Leader in the Ontario Sires Stakes Futurity trials, taking place at Ajax near the end of August.
Trainer Jason Pascoe prepped the other 2 horses who hit the board. First Cold Wave (Cold Hard Dash-Cassies Carver), the post-time favorite at almost even-money odds, finished 2nd for owner Robert Bailey with Brian Bell aboard. Kold Kinda Star (Cold Hard Dash-Kool Kinda Star), who bested Night Leader in a maiden on July 14, placed 3rd for Belinda Taggart under Ismael Mosqueira.
SPEEDHORSE CANADA Spring 2022 49