Are You Kidding Me, patiently steered by Alan Garcia, stamped himself the favourite for Canada’s older horse honours by picking up his third graded stakes win of the meet in Sunday’s co-featured $209,200 Grade 2 Autumn Stakes, at Woodbine.
Trained by Roger Attfield for owners Ronald K. Kirk, John C. Bates, and Michael Riordan, Are You Kidding Me rallied up the rail to overtake defending Autumn Stakes champion Lukes Alley in the 1 1/16-mile ‘Poly’ stake.
Royal Son, with Justin Stein up, set the pace in the Autumn marking the opening quarter in :25.01 with Western Reserve, piloted by David Moran, pressing his early foot. Garcia tucked Are You Kidding Me into third position along the rail down the back straight as Royal Son made the half-mile in :49.33.
Lukes Alley, racing from off the pace, circled wide through the final turn under Luis Contreras and assumed the lead as the field straightened away with a game and determined Royal Son continuing to battle. However, a rail-skimming Are You Kidding Me found his best stride late and ran on to a 1/2-length win. Lukes Alley, the 2-1 mutuel favourite, held place by 1 ¼-lengths over Royal Son. Are You Kidding Me covered 1 1/16-miles in 1:43.41.
Are You Kidding Me won his first two starts at Woodbine this season taking the Grade 2 Eclipse and Grade 2 Nijinsky Stakes in similar stretch-running fashion. However, the five-year-old Run Away and Hide bay was taking his first win in three starts after finishing third in the grassy Grade 2 Sky Classic, fourth in the Presque Isle Downs Mile and third in the Grade 3 Durham Cup.
“He’s a very genuine horse. He’s had a couple of rough trips, but he trained really well to the race and I knew if he got a fair run he would be very tough,” said Attfield. “I was a little concerned about the speed orientated racetrack as it is, and we had the one hole, so I knew we had to run out of there fairly well.
“When I saw the half in :49 and change, I thought we were sitting in a great spot and if he gets any kind of trip we were probably going to win.”
The Autumn also marked the end of an era as trainer Lady Jane Cecil, of famed Warren Place Stables, saddled her final runner, Western Reserve, for a fourth-place finish.
Are You Kidding Me banked $120,000 in victory while improving his record to 6-3-6 from 24 career starts.
He paid $13.90, $5.50 and $3.80, combining with Lukes Alley ($3.40, $2.90) for a $60.90 (1-7) exactor. A 1-7-3 triactor (Royal Son, $9.30 to show) was worth $788.30, while a $1 Superfecta [1-7-4-3 (Western Reserve)] came back $4417.90.
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