Toronto, ON – Last year’s Champion Male Turf Horse Rahy’s Attorney makes his seasonal bow in Sunday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Connaught Cup Stakes at Woodbine.
Owned by Ellie Boje Farm, Read Peters and Jean and Jim MacLellan, the gelding captured last year’s Connaught Cup and the $1 million Woodbine Mile, credentials which vaulted him to the top of the division.
Trainer Ian Black said his five-year-old turf star, who will carry top weight of 126 pounds, is ready to kick off the year.
“He’s in very good order,” said Black. “Having spent the winter up here and not had a race is somewhat of a disadvantage compared to the winter-raced horses. We paid dearly for winning a $1 million race. We give a lot of weight away. I expect him to run well and give a good account of himself.”
Black said he intended to run in an allowance event two or three weeks ago, but the race didn’t go.
One thing is for certain, the son of Crown Attorney will be just a fraction of the price he was in last year’s renewal of the 1 1/16-mile grass feature, which is the first stakes event of 2009 on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.
Last season, the Rahy’s Attorney was dismissed at 16-1 in the Connaught. Thanks to a clever Slade Callaghan steer, the gelding upset the 11-horse field with a rail-skimming rally that resulted in a half-length decision over Society’s Chairman.
Four starts later, Callaghan and Rahy’s Attorney teamed to play the spoiler once again, taking the Grade 1, $1 million Woodbine Mile at odds of 12-1. Over ‘yielding’ terrain, he defeated Ventura by 1 1/4 lengths.
Rahy’s Attorney hasn’t seen action since he was on the opposite side of the globe. He wrapped up his $822,837 season with an appearance in the Mile Championship at Japan’s Kyoto Racecourse on November 23. The bay Ontario-bred ran well in the 18-runner tilt, finishing in ninth, defeated just 3 3/4 lengths.
“He was very happy when he was there. It certainly didn’t have any adverse effects on him,” recalled Black. “He had to go right-handed, that didn’t bother him. He was beat less than four lengths. It was a very credible race. They might have called it firm, but it was hard. That probably didn’t suit him as much as having a little give in it.”
Rahy’s Attorney spent the winter in Ontario at Kinghaven Farms. He appears set to kick off his campaign in positive fashion, having worked steadily over the past two months. On May 2, he worked five furlongs in :59 1/5, breezing. The Polytrack move was the fastest of 94 times at the distance.
“That was his major work,” said Black. “I had some company give him a lead that day. He worked really well. He was out three-quarters in 1:12.”
Black said the long-term goal for Rahy’s Attorney is to defend his title in the Woodbine Mile on September 20.
“If he’s as good as he was last year, that would be the obvious thing to do,” he agreed. “We may go there a little differently, but we’ll worry about that after this weekend.”
The Connaught Cup is slated for race seven on Sunday’s 10-race programme.
FIELD FOR THE CONNAUGHT CUP
POST – HORSE – JOCKEY – TRAINER
1 – Society’s Chairman – Jono Jones – Roger Attfield
2 – Ice Bear – Chantal Sutherland – MacDonald Benson
3 – Rahy’s Attorney – Slade Callaghan – Ian Black
4 – French Beret – Eurico Rosa da Silva – Mark Frostad
5 – Artic Cry – Robert Landry – Eddie Kenneally
6 – Mike Fox – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Bruce Smither
7 – Sterwins – Patrick Husbands – Malcolm Pierce
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