For the fifth year in a row, three different horses will win the Canadian Triple Crown races. This Sunday’s 1 1/2 mile inner turf marathon will not include the winners of the first two legs.
The Breeders’ will essentially be the last big money race for Canadian-bred three-year-olds and upward this year. Once a Canadian-bred gets through the Triple Crown, there are no more races strictly for Canadian-breds through their four-year-old campaign and older.
Mansetti, the King’s Plate winner, ran hard in the Prince of Wales when passed only late by Runaway Again. Runaway Again, owned by Stronach Stables, is also reportedly passing the Breeders’ after he was supplemented to both the Plate and ‘Wales.
Expected to be favoured is US-based TOM’S MAGIC, who had such a messy journey in the Plate that it likely cost him the victory. The son of Justify is a multiple stakes winner on the grass.
There are couple of formidable opponents, however, as part of the possible 8-9 horse field.
Trainer RACHEL HALDEN, a whiz with long-distance grassers, has already won two Breeders’ Stakes including last year’s with Chiefswood Stables’ Roscar. This year, Halden has a Chiefswood fellow, BOREALIS TRAIL, who broke his maiden on turf in early August with a 79 Beyer Figure. Chiefswood horses have won three of the last eight Breeders’.
Halden also has the filly ARISTELLA, who won the Wonder Where Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf.
Hall of Fame trainer ROGER ATTFIELD could run the undefeated CIUNAS for Jeff Zlonis and Richard Hogan. The son of Silent Name has won two races including his latest on the turf.
Other nominees of the 11 include FABER, who was third in the Prince of Wales, but has only worked on grass once and that was last June; the maiden SLUGGERNAUT, King’s Plate seventh-place finisher WATSONVILLE RED, unplaced in two turf tries, and Plate Trial winner SEDBURYS GHOST, who worked quickly on grass on Sunday.
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