Witch Dali, an Ontario-sired four-year-old mare, is the favourite in tonight’s opening leg of series at the Meadowlands named for one of the all time great Ontario-sired distaffers, Burning Point.
A winner of more than $3 million in her career, Burning Point earned $366,000 in the Ontario Sires Stakes program, most during her sophomore season in 2003. The Camluck daughter then went on to become one of the top open pacing mares in North America for several seasons before retiring at the end of the 2007 season.
In total she faced the gate 140 times, winning 46 races and finishing second or third in 54 others. Bred by Fred Drouillard of Windsor, Ontario, Burning Point is now a member of the illustrious Hanover Shoe Farms broodmare band.
Unlike Burning Point, Witch Dali wasn’t a standout in the OSS program, starting only four times in her career and never once finishing in the top three. But she’s making up for lost time now.
Witch Dali comes into tonight’s contest off a victory in the Worldly Beauty final on January 24. To date this year she has two wins and a second in three starts for trainer Tony Alagna who co-owns with Brad Grant of Milton, Ontario.
After making 10 starts as a two-year-old, Witch Dali was off for over a year before returning to the racetrack late last season and quickly making her presence felt. After winning her first start at the New Jersey oval, she ventured north to Woodbine where she swept the three week Niagara Series, winning all three legs by multiple lengths.
After her Boxing Day win in the Niagara final, she returned to the Meadowlands for the Worldly Beauty series, winning the first leg and the final and finishing a close second in the second split.
In tonight’s Burning Point opening leg she’s drawn post eight with regular pilot Tim Tetrick at the lines. Her rivals include her stablemate from the Alagna barn, Hello My Dream who is making her first 2015 start.
“Witch Dali has had a nice week and trained back well on Tuesday,” Alagna told the Meadowlands’ media department earlier this week. “I always knew she could race from off the pace and I think she showed everyone else that new dimension in the Worldly Beauty Final. It was nice for her to finally get a trip like that after having rough trips in her previous starts.
“Hello My Dream is owned by Ed Teefey who has had horses with my mom for 30 years back in Illinois,” explained Alagna. “She had a really good year and Mr. Teefey wanted to give her a shot in the series.”
Bred by Gaeten Hebert and Aaron Waxman of Ontario, Witch Dali is the second foal of the Blissfull Hall mare Whitesand Gem who earned $249,000 during her racing career and hails from a strong pacing family that includes such top performers as Dragons Lair, Doonbeg, Royal Mattjesty, His Mattjesty, etc.
Waxman campaigned Witch Dali’s sire, Dali, a winner of $1.4 million in his career. Witch Dali is one of just a handful of offspring from his first crop.