Seffeara, Executive Allure Win at Woodbine

Sent to post as the 3-5 mutuel favourite on the back of an impressive track record setting performance on debut, when covering 4 1/2-furlongs in :51.01, Seffeara looked to be well on his way to victory in the 5 1/2-furlong Clarendon after setting splits of :22.34 and :45.95 only to be swooped at the top of the lane by Conquest Typhoon and Sky Racer.

Conquest Typhoon, a first time starter for trainer Mark Casse and Conquest Stables LLC., took a brief lead between Sky Racer and a determined Undercover Cat, but a resurgent Seffeara clicked back into gear and burst up the rail for a 1 1/2-length score in a final running time of 1:04.67. Conquest Typhoon held on for place over a rallying R U Watchingbud.

Jockey Gary Boulanger, who was dumped behind the gate by Seffeara prior to the start, came away impressed with his lightly raced bay.

"He's a pretty special horse," said Boulanger. "He was a little bad in the gate, but still got away clean. He didn't know what to do out there by himself. He kind of got lost and he was looking around. We had worked him behind horses before so I wasn't too concerned.

"When Olguin (Gerry, jockey of Undercover Cat) came to him, I asked him to go with him and he didn't grab onto me, he was just, ‘ho hum.’ And then he saw them and thought maybe he should run again and that's when he got back involved and kicked on and won."

Seffeara, by Old Forester out of Town Dance, is trained by Steve Owens for his Empress Stables overseen by Owens' wife Beverly and their young daughter Emma.

"It looked like the plan was going accordingly when he opened up on the lead, but he wanders this horse," said Owens. "He's so green. He's lightly raced, it's just his second start and when he's out there he's a little kid looking around to see what's out there and who wants to play next."

Seffeara banked $90,000 in victory while remaining undefeated through two starts.

He paid $3.40, $2.30 and $2.10, combining with Conquest Typhoon ($3.20, $2.90) for a $9 (2-4) exactor.  A 2-4-1 (R U Watchingbud, $4.10) triactor was worth $49.80, while a $1 Superfecta [2-4-1-5 (Irish Desire)] came back $129.40.

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TORONTO, July 12 - William Sorokolit's Executive Allure made every pole a winning one in Saturday's $125,000 Passing Mood Stakes, at Woodbine.

Trained by Darwin Banach and forwardly ridden by Eurico Rosa da Silva over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course, Executive Allure proved to be full value as the even-money favourite setting splits of :23.16, :46.07 and 1:09.13 en route to a 3 3/4-length victory in a final running time of 1:21.28 for seven furlongs.

A rail riding Virreina saved every inch of ground under Davy Moran and held on for place over a rallying And I Did in the added-money event for Ontario-sired three-year-old fillies.

The lightly raced Executive Allure, a dark bay daughter of Bold Executive-Ready and Alluring, boasts a pair of wins from three lifetime starts including a neck score in the Fanfreluche Stakes to complete her juvenile campaign.

Executive Allure tried turf for the first time in her seasonal debut, a six furlong allowance tilt on June 21, and put in a similar front-running effort for a 4 1/2-length win over Passing Mood rival Virreina.

"She was running very relaxed and I was lucky as there was nobody there to chase me," said da Silva. "When we came to the stretch she was very relaxed. She was on the wrong lead, but I didn't want to bother her too much because she was running so strong."

Banach was pleased with the effort from his improving Sorokolit homebred.

"She has a special filly attitude," said Banach. "She gallops in the morning and she'll switch (leads) when she wants to switch and in her works she'll switch (leads), but it seems when she's out on the lead and there's no other horses around her she just gets unfocused. Maybe one day she'll have to deal with that when a horse comes up beside her."

Executive Allure banked $75,000 in victory while improving her record to 3-0-0 from four career starts.

She paid $4.10, $2.90 and $2.70, combining with Virreina ($6.40, $4.90) for a $19.60 (7-1) exactor.  A 7-1-6 (And I Did, $5.60) triactor was worth $115.60, while a $1 Superfecta [7-1-6-3 (My Bid)] came back $560.20. On Rainbow Bridge was scratched.