Cairo Caper set for Soaring Free Stakes adventure / Crystal Visions sets sights on Catch a Glimpse
Soaring Free and Catch a Glimpse Stakes Previews
TORONTO, August 14, 2024 – Cairo Caper, a son of Cairo Prince-Summer Clothes, will make his stakes debut in the $150,000 bet365 Soaring Free, a 6 ½-furlong race for 2-year-olds on the E.P. Taylor turf, Saturday at Woodbine.
Part of a King’s Plate card that also features four stakes, the Soaring Free has attracted nine hopefuls, including Cairo Caper.
The grey gelding, bred in Kentucky by Bret Jones, heads into the race off a sharp maiden-breaking score on July 4.
Under Jose Campos, who will be aboard again on Saturday, Cairo Caper shadowed the leader in the six-furlong sprint over the E.P. Taylor turf before drawing off to a 1 ½-length victory in a time of 1:09.60 over firm ground.
The only thing that caught trainer Nathan Squires off guard was a number on the infield tote board.
“I was surprised that he didn’t go off as the favourite,” said Squires, of the 6-1 odds. “But the win was no surprise to me. I expected him to win, and he did exactly as we had planned it out. There was a lot of improvement from his first race to that one.
“It also reminded me that the Cairo Prince horses can run on any surface and at any distance.”
Owned by William B. Thompson, Jr., Cairo Caper debuted on May 31, and finished third in a five-furlong race over the Woodbine all-weather course.
Squires has liked what he has seen in both starts but is even more impressed with how the rookie has worked since his maiden-breaking triumph.
“Since he last ran and won, I gave him a little down time. He’s grown and put on some weight. He had three works after his win, and then he also worked on August 10, and did it exceptionally well.
“In that latest one, he was just breezing and galloping, and got five furlongs on the main track in 1:00.00. He worked well and I was very pleased with it. He has not been asked a serious question in the mornings because he is so smart. He cooled out well and here we are.”
Cairo Caper was a $50,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland Association September Yearling Sale.
His all-time leading earner is Buy Land and See, a multiple stakes winner with eight wins and 15 top three placings from 20 starts, to go along with $578,390 in purse earnings.
Another standout offspring is My Boy Prince, the favourite for Saturday’s King’s Plate, and last year’s Canadian champion 2-year-old, who won the 2023 Cup and Saucer Stakes on the E.P. Taylor turf, and recorded Grade 1 placings in the Natalma Stakes and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.
Graded stakes winner Cairo Consort, who Squires trained early on, is another star produced by Cairo Prince.
“I have had luck with Cairo Prince horses,” said Squires. “I go to the sales and look for them because he is a stallion that produces very versatile types.”
Devon Boreland is the groom.
Soaring Free, who lends this stakes his name, was Canada’s Horse of the Year and Outstanding Turf Male in 2004 after capturing the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile. The Sam-Son Farm homebred finished a close second in the previous year’s Woodbine Mile and was honoured as Canada’s Outstanding Sprinter.
Field for the Soaring Free Stakes (Race 6)
PP – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Ylivoimainen – Eswan Flores – Tedston Holder
2 – Test Score – Rafael Hernandez – Graham Motion
3 – Your Valentino – Daisuke Fukumoto – Alexander McPherson
4 – Coolcollected – Ryan Munger – Patrick Dixon
5 – Mensa – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
6 – Cairo Caper – Jose Campos – Nathan Squires
7 – Dream On – Kazushi Kimura – Mark Casse
8 – Shadow Factor – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Ron Potts
9 – Homie – David Cohen – Larry Rivelli
Chris Lomon, Woodbine
Crystal Visions sets sights on Catch a Glimpse
TORONTO, August 14, 2024 – Crystal Visions, an impressive debut winner, steps into the stakes arena in the $150,000 Catch a Glimpse, Saturday at Woodbine.
Trained by Stuart Simon, who co-owns with Brent McLellan, the daughter of Bee Jersey-You Make Luvin Fun will take on a dozen 2-year-old fillies over 6 ½ furlongs on the E.P. Taylor turf.
Crystal Visions, under Eswan Flores, rallied to secure a 1 ¾-length victory at 5 ½ furlongs over the Woodbine all-weather track on July 13.
The dark bay filly tracked the lead pair from along the rail and pounced at the quarter pole, en route to the impressive victory in 1:05.23.
“She ran very well,” said Simon, of the $45,000 purchase at the 2024 OBS March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training. “She broke well, settled, rated, and then came up between horses, and did everything so professionally.
“Running like that from off the pace, compared to a 2-year-old that makes the lead and just runs on from there – she learned a lot and took to it right away.”
Crystal Visions has had a steady work tab since her only start, which included a five-furlong breeze in 1:01.00 over the Woodbine all-weather track on August 9.
“She is just a nice, professional filly, and she has done everything right so far. Hopefully, she moves forward off that first race. She is doing very well.”
As for the filly’s name, McLellan was inspired by a lyric from Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 classic hit “Dreams” on the Rumours album.
Crystal Vision’s dam, You Make Luvin Fun, also has Fleetwood Mac ties to it. The 1977 hit “You Make Loving Fun” was also on the group's Rumours album.
“Brent came up with the name and we mutually agreed on it,” said Simon. “She has to be like Fleetwood Mac now and keep coming up with hit after hit.”
Bred in Ontrio by Charles Fipke, Crystal Visions was foaled on April 22, 2022.
Also slated to run in the Catch a Glimpse is Bound to Be True, a daughter of Cairo Prince.
Trained by Nathan Squires, the grey filly won her debut on June 8 before a sixth next time out in the My Dear Stakes on July 13.
“Her last race, I was very disappointed,” said Squires. “But she had excuses. She was hyper and full of energy. In the paddock, she wasn’t as settled as she was in her first race. Behind the gate, David [jockey, Moran] said she just wouldn’t settle.
“In the race, she had no luck at all. She almost clipped heels and fell. All those factors went against her that day, but she came out of it in good order.”
Squires, who won the 2022 Catch a Glimpse with Cairo Consort, is expecting a strong effort from Bound to Be True on Saturday.
“Bound to Be True, she can be a bit lazy in the morning and not show you much. But she has looked good in her recent works, and she looks good herself. Our crew has done a lot of work with her. We went back to the drawing board, and she seems to have settled down. Hopefully, she brings that demeanor with her on Saturday. I believe she will run a good race.”
Bred in Kentucky by Hartwell Farm, Bound to Be True is owned by Susan W. Lyons.
The Catch a Glimpse was run for the first time in 2018, with My Gal Betty winning the inaugural edition.
Field for the Catch a Glimpse Stakes (Race 10)
Post – Horse – Jockey - Trainer
1 – Shotgun Wedding – Sofia Vives – Jamie Begg
2 – Will Reign – Kazushi Kimura – Mark Casse
3 – Salt – Pietro Moran – Kevin Attard
4 – Shifty – Sahin Civaci – Mark Casse
5 – Ready for Candy – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Michael De Paulo
6 – Crystal Visions – Eswan Flores – Stuart Simon
7 – Bullet – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
8 – Shezafunkydrummer – David Cohen – Larry Rivelli
9 – Bound to Be True – David Moran – Nathan Squires
10 – Misty Point – Desean Bynoe – Michael De Paulo
11 – Ambitious Lass – Jeffrey Alderson – Anthony Pottinger
12 – Warming – Rafael Hernandez – Graham Motion
13 – Carlisle Bay – Justin Stein – Barbara Minshall
Chris Lomon, Woodbine
