TW Y17 WOODBINE OAKS*
FIRST Miss Magic
SECOND Wild Tide
THIRD Roses Rampant
FOURTH Fabled Dreams
FIFTH Bona Fide
SIXTH Apache Sunrise
SEVENTH Kindly Enough

Coming into this race, I did not see a clear a winner at first glance. Which can be good and bad, so I stepped back to look at each horse carefully in overall record and pick apart each one in racing style, placement in race, past results, and I tried to be pretty nit-picky about who I felt was best prepared for this level of racing and this particular race 9 furlongs on dirt. This race was very heavy on front runners, four to be exact, with one middler and two closers. This made the entry pace and breaking extremely hard and fast from the get-go, separating the pack into two sections. This was not easy to judge, I spent well over an hour on it, I know some don't prefer my judging style but I've done the best I could with this difficult venture today.

Kindly Enough: I know you'd love to see her succeed as her older brother did Sammy, but given this field, Kindly Enough just did not have the experience in higher level racing or enough prep track time to get into things here. I think she'll succeed in HOTY at more grade specific type races, not open ones at this time. She got caught at the front and was a bit shocked at the heavy competitive drives she faced and burned out once the back of the pack caught up.

Apache Sunrise: She's taken a dip this year for you Ren, it's always hard to put horses so low, but this was a spit fire race especially for those front runners. I encourage you to keep her in this set, as others in this race are not able to run dual and she could definitely pull out a surprise for you later on as the entrants thin out.

Bona Fide: I really disliked putting her so low in placing Lolly, she's been having an amazing start this year. However she had a very small juvenile year, and only has just begun to work her way into the heavy competitive races. I truly feel in the next race in this set she may improve her standing, it was very close between her and Apache Sunrise, Bona Fide won several times at 9 furlong specifically so far this year and has been on a streak, which pushed up her up to place just before the more overall savvy Apache Sunrise in this race.

Fabled Dreams: Fabled Dreams found her little niche in the middle of the racers and seemed to hold it, as the front runners tapered off the closers got by her, but she kept going in her pace. I feel Fabled has been pushing to get into stronger wins, she definitely has a background in experience during HOTY company and she learned a lot here today. I think she just might have it in her to usurp a higher placing in the next round, don't give up and keep her going.

Roses Rampant: She's been prepped for longer distances this season and had less track time than the top two. Not good or bad per say, but this particular field was so cut throat I had to get very nit picky, and in my judging style I'd like to have seen a couple more races for her at shorter distances to be able to overtake Wild, who is super experienced at just this distance. I felt in the race she was expecting it to be a big longer so she didn't kick in fast enough at the end to catch Wild. She's definitely the biggest threat in my opinion to take the win for one or both of the next two legs of this, so hang in there.

Wild Tide: Wild got this by the skin of her teeth from Roses Rampant, she's been consistent this year in improving in HOTY quality, she had more balanced prep time this season and nine furlongs seems to be her favorite furlong and she by far had the most time spent racing and winning there than the others. I do think she favors the lower miler range, so we'll see how she does continuing forward.

Miss Magic: Having just competed in the TT I felt she was the best prepared at high cut throat racing than the rest of the field. I like her balance of number of races overall, she was able to punch through the fatiguing front running pack at the end to grasp the win. Although others had more wins this season than her, I feel her experience from watching the TT competitors gave her a mental edge on this game today. She didn't overreact and was able to keep her pacing and cool head.

Best of luck to all who go to the Bison City Stakes!