II Malocchio Springs Maple Leaf Upset
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Photo: Michael Burns
II Malocchio on her way to victory in the Maple Leaf Stakes at Woodbine
Il Malocchio made the grade Nov. 12 in the CA$171,300 Maple Leaf Stakes (G3) at Woodbine.
Trained by Martin Drexler for owner and breeder Franco Meli, the 4-year-old daughter of Souper Speedy was full of run down the lane under Sahin Civaci to record her third career score and first graded stakes victory in the 1 1/4-mile test for fillies & mares, 3-year-olds and upward on the all weather surface.
Settled into fifth early, Il Malocchio, sent off at 9-1, watched an early scramble for the lead develop, as 2-1 choice Transient , with Jose Ortiz in the irons, eventually struck front after leaving from the outside post 11, and then proceeded to take her 10 rivals through an opening quarter in :23.93.
Transient was a half-length on top through a half-mile reached in :47.12, while Il Malocchio, still fifth, was yet to be given her cue from Civaci.
As the field turned for home after three-quarters in 1:11.82, Transient was under pressure from Angelou to her outside, while Il Malocchio kept gaining on the leaders, moving into third position at the stretch call.
Il Malocchio blew by those rivals late to earn a one-length victory in a time of 2:02.55.
Angelou bested Transient by a half-length for the runner-up spot, while Silent Causeway rallied from far back to secure fourth.
The Ontario-bred came into the Maple Leaf having gone 0-3-1 from seven starts on the season.
"First of all, she's enjoying the cooler weather for sure," Drexler said. "She had a couple little setbacks in the summer. I also thought she got the perfect trip today. It was a perfect setup right from the beginning.
"She sat just off the pace, there was a little bit of pace to run at, she saved ground, and the rail was good today. It just really set up for her. She's just been always on. Some days, she struggles in the heat a bit. This weather and the type of track we had today, I think she enjoyed that."
Meli, who will turn 50 on Sunday, was equally pleased with the filly, who captured the 2020 edition of the Victorian Queen Stakes and last year's Bison City Stakes.
"For some reason, I was very confident," offered Meli. "It was the distance. The mile and a quarter I thought would really help her, and the cooler weather. I knew she had a really rough summer."
Now 3-6-3 from 19 lifetime starts for earnings of $423,461, Il Malocchio paid $20.40 for the win from a $2 win ticket.
Il Malocchio is the sole winner from three foals to race produced from the Sligo Bay mare Egbert Bay, who delivered a colt by Lookin At Lucky this past breeding season.