By T. D. Thornton
Woodbine's experiment to run as many as 40 clockwise races on its turf course this year got off to a successful start Friday as the right-handed race went off without a hitch. The winner was Fireball Merlin (Curlin) and he was ridden by Luis Contreras. Contreras saved ground on the turn, which comes up shortly after the start, angled out for the stretch run and won by 3 3/4 lengths. Fireball Merlin paid $8.00 and the running time for the five furlongs run over a firm turf course was :57.71.
“Everything went fine,” Contreras said. “The tricky part is that turn comes up right after you leave the gate, so you have to be ready for it and it helps to save ground. Once you come out of the turn you have a short run to the finish. I had worked this horse before the race going the wrong direction, so I knew he could handle it and he would be fine.”
Contreras may have had an advantage over some of the other riders as he has said he had ridden in right-handed races in Japan.
The only horse who appeared to have a problem in the race was Leo's Lookin (Leonnatus Anteas). The 7-2 third-choice in the race, he had trouble negotiating the turn, raced way wide and lost considerable ground on his way to a fifth-place finish.
The Woodbine bettors did not shy away from the event as they wagered $242,000 on race, $10,000 more than was wagered on a the conventional race that kicked off Friday's card a week earlier.
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