A FAVOURITE CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL MEMORY – sort of…
Yep, that was the year 2000 and I had handicapped till by eyes were red and decided to plunk my 20 across on WILLIAMS NEWS the American runner with Patrick Husbands on board.
Well, as you can see, the gelding looked a winner late in the stretch but it was that infamous photo, the grainy one that was hard to actually read, that said Mutafaweq had won.
CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL WEEK
large field expected for International and Taylor
There will be planes landing in Toronto tomorrow and Wednesday full of European horses who will be competing this weekend at Woodbine in the biggest grass races of the year.
Group 1 winner SECOND STEP, trained by Luca Cumani (won the International with Infamy) is certainly one of the bigger names for the races. This gelding is coming off a Group 1 score in Germany from far of the pace.
Canadian hopes for the International rest on INTERPOL, DANISH DYNAFORMER, UP WITH THE BIRDS and KAIGUN, the Canadian-bred starters while locals HABIBI , BUTTON DOWN and REPORTING STAR could also start.
Here are some early, possible entries:
SECOND STEP – 4yo is 5 for 9, Group 1 win in Ger and Group 2 win in Eng this year
CANNOCK CHASE – Sir Michael Stoute trains (won last year) – Group 3 winner/Lemon drop Kid
TRIPLE THREAT – gorgeous 5yo 3rd in Northern Dancer 91 Beyer
DA BIG HOSS – 4 wins in a row, Grade 3 Ky Turf Cup 97 Beyer
INTERPOL – two Graded stakes wins in a row, Grade 1 Northern Dancer – 98 Beyer
HABIBI – 2nd to Interpol in Northern Dancer
BUTTON DOWN – was 2nd to Habibi in 12 furlong Flaming Page, beyers in 96, 91 range
KAIGUN – multiple Grade 2 winner was 4th in Woodbine Mile, has not raced 12 furlongs in 2 years
DANISH DYNAFORMER – John Velasquez , Breeders’ Stakes winner wants firm turf
UP WITH THE BIRDS – Canadian Horse of the Year 2-13, won Nijinky July 2014, 0-7 since
SHEIKHZAYEDROAD – $840K in earnings, last win was in Northern Dancer at Woodbine – 2014
POWER PED – stakes winner Neil Detsdale, 2nd to Da Big Hoss
REPORTING STAR – undecided
DA BIG HOSS – American runner on a winning streak
E.P. TAYLOR also loaded
Strut the Course against the world!
Possible entrants –
CRISOLLES (fR) – listed winner France, placed at Saratoga allowance, C Clement
CURVY (GB) D Watchman for Magnier et al, , Group 2 winner by Galileo, beaten 1/2 length Yorkshire Oaks (G1)
DEVONSHIRE (IRE) – Godolphin listed winner trainer W McCreary
EASTERN BELLE (GB) – 4 straight 2nd place finishes in US stakes, allowance listed winner G Motion
LACY (GER) Gourp 3 winner Germany – 7th Beverly D on soft turf
LLANARMON – local, minor placings in 2015
MISS CHATELAINE minor stakes winner 89 Beyer C Clement
NAKUTI – Group 3 winner in latest from 22 races
ROSALIND – Sheepshead Bay at belmont in spring Chad brown
STRUT THE COURSE – Canada’s top older female
TALMADA – listed winner, group 2 placed behind Bev D winner Secret Gesture
UCHENNA – Local mare
WHITE ROSE Grade 3 Glens Falls at Saratoga B Mott
YAAZY (IRE) – group placed, lightly raced John Hammond
*HABIBI and BUTTON DOWN are still considering this race or the International
CURVY is in town for EP Taylor – looks like possible favourite
NAKTUI – would want giving ground if she took part – here is an excerpt from the racing Post from her trainer Sylvester Kirk..
SYLVESTER KIRK is waiting for the ground to ease before attempting to secure some valuable black type with Nakuti, who is “better than ever” this season according to her trainer.
Although the four-year-old has only won twice from 21 starts, with her last victory nearly a year ago, she has performed consistently in Pattern company, with her last run coming at York when she was sixth to Alfred Hutchinson.
Kirk, who features in this week’s Trainer File for the Racing & Football Outlook, said: “[I think] she’s a class act. She hasn’t got her head in front since last year’s July meeting at Newmarket when she won off a mark of 83, but she has run a string of good races in Listed company, just missing out on some black type as she’s finished fourth three times.
MAY ENFORCE BE WITH YOU
79th Cup and Saucer – 85 BEYER FIGURE
(Photo BY MR WILL WONG)
CONQUEST ENFORCER did not take long to run to the hype that had followed him in the summer before he made his career debut. The handsome bay 2-year-old colt, entered in last month’s Summer Stakes – Grade 3 first time out, did not handle soft grass that day but against Canadian-breds in the Cup and Saucer on Sunday, it was a walk in the grassy park.
At the finish, it was the highly-regarded and widely-touted son of Into Mischief – Keen Victory by Victory Gallop, with jockey Patrick Husbands, who demolished his 11 rivals effortlessly, winning off by six and three-quarter lengths in the mile and one-sixteenth historic turf event, in a final time of 1:43.17.
A $210,000 yearling purchase by Conquest Stables, the son of Into Mischief-Keen Victory, bred by Ivan Dalos’ Tall Oaks Farm, had debuted in the tough Grade 2, one mile turf Summer Stakes on September 12, but finished fourth, almost six lengths behind stablemate Conquest Daddyo, who earned a berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf October 30 at Keeneland by virtue of the win.
Said Husbands, “We worked him about two months ago on the turf. I came back and said to (trainer) Mark (Casse), he’s a pretty nice horse. But he never got a chance to get back on the turf (in training). The last race, it was a soft, soft, soft turf and he was never comfortable. So, we just had to put that race behind. When we got the daylight today, he showed he was the best horse in the race. It’s an honour and a pleasure to sit on good horses. They always make you smile.”
In the Cup and Saucer, Conquest Enforcer, who went postward the lukewarm 3-1 favourite, sat a patient third on the rail, while longshot Gigantic Breeze and Shakhimat dueled on the front end through fractions of :23.62, :47.34 and 1:12.18, over a ‘good’ E.P. Taylor Turf Course.
However, when the field turned for home, it was just a question of whether Husbands would find a seam between the pacesetters. Wheeled off the rail and splitting rivals, Conquest Enforcer exploded when the opening occurred and the race was essentially over.
Butterfly Dance, who briefly took over in mid-stretch before the ‘Enforcer’ got through, was second, while Shakhimat was another two lengths back in third.
It was the fifth Cup and Saucer win for Husbands and the third for Casse. Together, they also teamed to win the 2012 renewal with Star Contender.
LETTER FLY did just that on Sunday, ending a long winless streak for owner Janet Jeanpierre. Ian Black trains and Emma-Jayne Wilson rode the mare to a win with a career best 82 Beyer Speed Figure MR WILL WONG PHOTO
