London Tower Hopes to Topple Woodbine Oaks Rivals

Steve Owens, the 54-year-old veteran conditioner, has been training horses for over 24 years and has enjoyed some highs, as well as some terrible lows.

The highs include racing 2000 Sovereign Award winner Highland Legacy, winner of the Coronation Futurity, and Speed Gun, the 2000 Summer Stakes winner.

The absolute rock-bottom low came in August of 2002, when a barn fire killed many of his horses, including Highland Legacy.  But he survived that tragedy, began a slow rebuilding process and has enjoyed much success the last decade for a relatively small operation.   

Now, he stands on the brink of making history in the Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser, when he’ll saddle favoured London Tower on Sunday in the $500,000 classic at one mile and one-eighth on the Polytrack for Canadian-foaled three-year-old fillies.

If she wins, Owens would become the first person to breed, train and own an Oaks winner since the race’s inception in 1956.   There have been plenty of homebreds to win before but not trained by the owner.  He’s in a small circle to begin with – no middleman and you are your own boss.

“That would be nice, wouldn’t it,” he said. ”I knew she was a good little filly but how good you don’t really know until you start them.  In the mornings, she’s a really good work horse.   Last year, she outworked everything we put with her.”

London Tower, a daughter of Head Chopper-Mrs. Donaghy, has won three of her four lifetime outings, and has been favoured in all of them.

“I couldn’t really believe that.  The first start maybe I could believe because we had run another two year-old, Seffeara, and he ran off the screen (in June).”

After that monstrous maiden win by over seven lengths on October 4, as the 2-1 favourite, Owens threw London Tower into the deep end, the $250,000 Princess Elizabeth Stakes at one mile and one-sixteenth.  She led until deep stretch before finishing third, one and three-quarter lengths behind fellow Oaks rivals Brooklynsway and Shez a Masterpiece.

About her only loss, Owens explained, “First time going two turns against seasoned two-year-olds.

“She got that race under her, a two-turn event.   There was never any doubt in my mind that she couldn’t get the two turns.   Then we got that last race of the year in (Ontario Lassie, at one and one-sixteenth miles, which she won by a widening six and one-half lengths).  Believe me, I always say that a horse’s best race is their third race in the cycle.   That’s why I stuck around to race her, rather than put her away for the winter.”   

This year, in her only outing, London Tower overcame a slow start before putting on a dazzling late stretch run to nail Starless Night by a half-length in the seven furlong Fury Stakes, on May 3.

On her trouble-filled seasonal debut, “She just broke a little flat-footed because she was fidgety in the gate.  We didn’t intend to be on the lead in that race anyway.  We thought there was a lot of speed in the race, but a few others took back as well.”

Owens said the plan was always just to have one start into London Tower prior to the Oaks.

“She runs good fresh.  She has shown us she runs well off a long layoff.   I’m not concerned about that (having only had one seven furlong start this year).   She’s going to run her race and I hope she’s good enough and fit enough to go a mile and an eighth.”

Owens, whose only previous Oaks starter, Koonunga Hill, finished 12th in 2009,  also trained sire Head Chopper, and won the Elgin Stakes with him in 2008.

“I was given the dam (Mrs. Donaghy) because she didn’t make it as a racehorse,” said Owens. “When I first got her, she was just put out to pasture for a whole year, because she was nursing some injuries that she had, nothing serious, just soreness.  It’s been a surprise.  She’s got another one in her belly right now (also by Head Chopper, meaning a full brother/sister to London Tower is on the way).”  

Red River Heidi, trained by Jason DaCosta for owner David Crosson, will make her Canadian and Polytrack debut in Sunday's $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser.

The bay daughter of Afleet Alex-Red River Jane, bred in Ontario by Sean Fitzhenry, was purchased for $5,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky 2013 Fall Yearling Sale. 

Following two efforts sprinting to start her career in February at Tampa Bay Downs, Red River Heidi graduated impressively with an 18 1/2-length score while traveling two turns for the first time, albeit in a 16,000 maiden claiming tilt. 

Red River Heidi proved the result was no fluke next out with a five-length win in a $32,000 optional claiming route. In her most recent effort, on May 30 at Thistledown, Red River Heidi raced gamely on the engine to finish second, defeated just a head.

"She ran really well in a couple of her races in Florida and I think she deserved a chance to come up here and take a shot in the race," said Crosson. 

Crosson expects a prominent trip for Red River Heidi in the Oaks.

"She races on the front end most of the time. She can either go to the front or sit second and third and make a run, but she prefers the front," said Crosson. "When she broke her maiden, she won by 18 lengths and in her next race at Tampa she won by five lengths and was only three-fifths of a second off the track record and that's why I thought she deserved a shot in this race."

A commercial fisherman by trade, Crosson, a New Jersey native, is making his first voyage to Woodbine.

"I work on a boat called the Christian Alexa out of Point Pleasant Beach. It's a 105-foot scallop boat. We'll go out and stay out on the ocean for ten to twelve days at a time and catch north Atlantic sea scallops,' said Crosson.

Crosson is hoping Red River Heidi will catch the field flat footed from her inside draw in the Oaks.

"I didn't care too much for the post position draw, but if she gets out front they'll all be running to catch her," he said. "She's galloped over the track twice now and she seems to like it. I'm hoping she'll favour the synthetic...maybe it'll make her move even quicker."

London Tower, Leading Edge and Brooklynsway head an extremely competitive 60th edition of the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser, Sunday at Woodbine. The filly classic, which attracted 10 Canadian-foaled three-year-old fillies carrying 121 pounds over one mile and one-eighth on the Polytrack, will go postward at 5:45 p.m. and will be televised live on TSN, as part of a one and one-half hour special from 4:30 -6:00 p.m. ET. The 13-horse strong Plate Trial, featuring five runners from the Mark Casse barn including race favourite Danzig Moon, is set for 5:10 p.m.