Slimsplace and A Pippin Hanover won their opening leg divisions of the Princess Pacing Series last week at Woodbine Racetrack with some pretty impressive miles considering the time of year. But if you ask
their respective trainers, Jeff Gillis and Kris Di Cenzo, they will say that they are looking out for a filly that didn't make a trip to the winner's circle.
In A Pippin Hanover 's division, which the filly took by a half-length in 1:54.1, post-time favourite Cowboys Dreamer couldn't find room in the lane and settled for a third-place finish, three-quarters of a length back from A Pippin Hanover.
"I was very happy. I wasn't actually expecting to win," Di Cenzo said about his victorious filly in an interview with the Woodbine Entertainment Group's Communications Department. "She hadn't raced in two months and the two-horse (Cowboys Dreamer) is a really nice filly. We lucked out, she got locked in and didn't catch us, so I'll take it."
And although Gillis' filly, Slimsplace, was tops in the other Princess split, he took notice of Cowboys Dreamer's performance as well.
When asked whether he liked Slimsplace's chances overall in the rest of the series, Gillis concurred with Di Cenzo's sentiments. "I think Cowboys Dreamer will be really brave off of that locked-up trip and she'll be very tough, but besides that I'll be quite confident," Gillis said in another WEG interview.
After having raced only once last year as a two-year-old, Cowboys Dreamer, a daughter of Michigan stallion Hawaiian Cowboy, has been tearing up the conditioned ranks at Woodbine and Western fair Raceway so far this season. The student of trainer Joseph Berry has won six of her eight starts this season, the fastest of which was a first-over win in 1:52.4 at Woodbine for Luc Ouellette.
The Princess' second leg has been drawn and is ready to go in a pair of $25,000 divisions this Thursday at Woodbine. The first dash, Race 2 (7:49 p.m.), will see Cowboys Dreamer (PP2, L. Ouellette, 4-5) search to make up for her opening-leg loss.
The second split, Race 6 (9:05 p.m.), will see the pair of opening-leg victors hook up against each other, as Slimsplace (PP4, Ra. Waples, 6-5) and A Pippin Hanover (PP5, M. MacDonald, 8-5) will take on a field of seven.
When asked about a preferred racing style for A Pippin Hanover, Di Cenzo said that his filly can adapt, but he does have a preference. "I would probably prefer to see her chasing horses, but she's very versatile, she can do it either way and she's shown that so far."
In regard to Slimsplace, Gillis said that he believes the filly has the ability to be a fringe Grand Circuit type, but at this time he is just hoping that she keeps her current string of health luck in order, as she has been dealt some bad luck in the past. "She's had trouble tying up, trouble with her feet," he said. "She had a little bit of atrial fibrillation, a little bit of everything."
To view the harness racing entries for Woodbine's Thursday card of racing, click here.