Saturday May 9th, 2009 - The New Providence Stakes(An Ontario Sire Stakes), Three-Year-Olds & Upward, Six Furlongs

History Lesson: The New Providence Stakes was inaugurated into Canadian thoroughbred horse racing in 1982 at Woodbine Racetrack. Named after the first official Canadian Triple Crown winner of 1959, the race runs at a distance of six furlongs over the polytrack at the Toronto oval. Robert Tiller holds the record for most wins by a trainer with three, while Jim McAleney will be looking to tie the record for most wins by a rider this year, held by now retired jock Larry Attard, at four winners. The second running of the New Providence saw the only filly to win the stake, Sintrillium, in 1983. The current record time for the now $125,000 event was set by Glanmire in 1996 with a time of 1:09.00.

New Providence Stakes 2009: This 28th edition of the $125,000 Ontario Sires Stakes event is a field of well known, accomplished runners from Woodbine. The unfortunate thing, about the majority of this group, is that they are allowance class horses which are winless against stakes company. Three of the nine colts and geldings have won at this level of competition before, being Dancer's Bajan, Legal Move and Stuck in Traffic.

Here's a look at the field by post position:

1 Dancer's Bajan by Trajectory out of Thoughtful Deed(Alydeed) Own: 3 Sons Racing Stable Ltd., Trainer: Robert P. Tiller, Jockey: Patrick Husbands

2 Legal Move by Bold Executive out of Charity Country(Charity Store) Own: Bruno Schickedanz, Trainer: Mark Fournier, Jockey: Chad Beckon

3 Drunken Love by Whiskey Wisdom out of No Sugar Tonight(Shossberg) Own: Bud Malette, Trainer: Terry Jordan, Jockey: Jim McAleney

4 Bold Nurse by Bold 'n' Flashy out of Dancing Nurse(Dr. Adagio) Own: C. Scott Abbott Racing Stable Ltd., Trainer: Michael J. Doyle, Jockey: Slade Callaghan

5 Stray Cat Stride by Cat's At Home out of Hasta Pronto(El Prado(IRE)) Own: Ian Jamieson, Trainer: Daniel O'Callaghan, Jockey: Richard Dos Ramos

6 Stuck In Traffic by Kiridashi out of Deadlock(Regal Classic) Own: M.A.D. Racing Stables and Martha Gonzalez, Trainer: Nick Gonzalez, Jockey: Eurico Rosa Da Silva

7 Celerity's Summit by Crown Attorney out of Madge Merton(Regal Intention) Own: Wind Dance Farm, Trainer: Hugo Dittfach, Jockey: David Garcia

8 Gone Trajectory by Trajectory out of Just Elated(Bold Ruckus) Own: The Estate of Firestone Farms Ltd., Trainer: David Bell, Jockey: Emma-Jayne Wilson

9 Yummy With Butter by Silvador out of Sophisticatedbagel(Kris S.) Own: Bruno Schickedanz, Trainer: Mark Fournier, Jockey: Justin Stein

The Skinny: There isn't much substance to this race when it's looked at by the stakes competition. Allowance horses find there way into Ontario Sires Stakes, fairly often, looking for a chance to make a splash in their earnings column. Though it is always possible for these horses to get the money, the likeliness of one of these horses beating Dancer's Bajan, Legal Move, or Stuck In Traffic is rather unlikely.

If this was Dancer's Bajan's second start of the season he would be by far the horse to beat in this event. It will be the first start off the shelf for the five-year-old son of Trajectory, but, he has been training well since early March and Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Tiller will have his "big hoss" ready and raring to go. An earner of over $720,000 lifetime, Dancer's Bajan has won multiple stakes races, including his last start of the '08 campaign in the Sir Barton Stakes at a mile and one-sixteenth. A few things to watch for here are that this big gelding will be carrying the most weight of the field at 124lbs and as mentioned it is his first start of the '09 campaign. The distance should not be too much of a problem though Dancer's Bajan will probably be using this race as a freshener.

Legal Move is one of two classy individuals sent out by Mark Fournier. The five-year-old bay will be back again in the New Providence as he finished runner-up to Main Executive in the '08 edition of the race. This will be Legal Move's fourth start of the season and he will be glad not to have to face Dysfunction in this one. A consistent runner and past stakes winner, Legal Move, will look to improve here going at the distance in which he holds the track record for. He has posted some very decent Beyer speed figures over his last two races at 94 and 89 respectively. This could be the race to put Legal Move into the win column.

Stuck In Traffic is the third of the three previous stakes competition winners of this race. He is a perfect example of a sprinter. An earner of just over $460,000 in his career, the Nick Gonzalez pupil, has four wins in ten attempts in stakes events and posts very decent Beyer figures, usually in the mid-eighties. Though he did not have a great first race of the '09 season, with a bobbled start, watch for the son of Kiridashi to go to the lead this time with new rider Da Silva aboard. The big four-year-old should take a lot of money on the tote board, don't leave him out.

Gone Trajectory is sent out by conditioner Dave Bell looking to score in his second straight race. Known as a router, for the most part, the five-year-old son of Trajectory pulled off a very convincing win off the shelf this season, running at a distance of five furlongs, in a race where the front runners did not hang around forcing a rapid first quarter-mile in :21 1/5 and a half-mile in :44 2/5. Gone Trajectory rallied wide to get to the wire in a drive. Most of this horses earnings have come in allowance races with an accrued $211,251 lifetime. Could be tough here, look for him to come off the pace again.

Yummy With Butter is the other Fournier competitor here. Finishing fourth in his first start this year, Yummy With Butter should be fit and ready for his fifth career stakes event. He has never won in stakes company, but, he has been third three of four times and runner-up in all four stakes races he has competed in. The Fournier trainee has posted very consistent Beyer figures throughout the '08 season with a low of 85 and a high of 93 and he will look to improve from his last race's 77. Yummy With Butter looks like he will stalk the front-runners and make a stretch bid.

Drunken Love is sent out by high percentage trainer Terry Jordan in his second start off the shelf in '09. Like his foe Stuck In Traffic, Drunken Love is pure speed and should go to the front early here. The son of Whiskey Wisdom won his first race, holding off rivals in an optional-claiming allowance race at a distance of five and one-half furlongs, while posting an 85 Beyer. He has earned just over $300,000 in fourteen career starts, which includes five wins, six seconds, and a third place finish. Not a bad resume. The four-year-old is stakes placed and can definitely get it done here if he gets his own way and can hold on late.

Trainer Mike Doyle will give six-year-old Bold Nurse a shot here. A four-time winner in his career, Bold Nurse has earnings of just of 170k and has not won a race since last May. He likes to go to the front but has not been able to hold of his foes in doing so. The fact that the son of Bold 'n' Flashy is carrying only 115lbs may make him a bit of a factor. He really seems to be out classed here, for the most part, and may be running for fifth money. Not much interest.

Celerity's Summit is definitely in for a rough go. This five-year-old gelding only has one lifetime win and earnings of $46,052. Conditioner Hugo Dittfach may be looking for a cheque here, but, it is highly unlikely this horse will be in contention. If we want to compare this horse to the rest of the field, there is none, he simply does not belong here.

Finally, an interesting individual comes into his first stakes event, lightly raced, four-year-old, Stray Cat Stride. Trainer Danny O'Callaghan has a good looking sprinter here who has been successful in allowance company and has lifetime earnings of just over 110k in six starts, which includes three wins. Stray Cat Stride seems to have early speed but can also stalk the leaders as he has done in the past. This horses Beyer ratings have gone up as the competition has become tougher and he carries a nice, light weight of 115lbs, let's just watch here.


My Picks: 6-2-8

Please feel free to add your own comments and picks for the 28th running of the New Providence Stakes.