What a day for world champion jockey Ryan Moore. After taking the E.P. Taylor aboard favoured Curvy 45 minutes earlier, he returned to the winner’s circle after impressively winning the Grade 1 $1 million, mile and one-half Pattison Canadian International aboard another slight favourite, Cannock Chase.
It marked a record-breaking third consecutive win in the Pattison for Moore, after directing Joshua Tree in 2013 and Hillstar in 2014, the first rider to do so since the race became a turf classic in 1958. It was also the third International win for trainer Sir Michael Stoute, following champion Singspiel in 1996 and last year with Hillstar.
At the finish, clocked in 2:29.26 over a ‘good’ E.P. Taylor Turf Course, Cannock Chase, won by a comfortable one and one-half lengths over Sam-Son Farm’s homebred Up With the Birds, Canada’s Horse of the Year in 2013, now trained by Graham Motion, who was making a welcome return to Woodbine this year after four starts south of the border.
Sheikhzayedroad, after a tardy beginning, closed up well for third, a length behind Up With the Birds, as both he and the winner raced in the colours of Rabbah Bloodstock LLC. Another Canadian-bred, Kaigun, who had loomed up to threaten the leaders in early stretch, finished a half-length back in fourth.
Cannock Chase, a four-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Lemon Drop Kid, was well back early on, in amongst a wall of horses, as Triple Threat and Joel Rosario went to the front and set a leisurely pace, getting early fractions of :25.41, :50.95, 1:16.54 and 1:41.46.
In fact, Triple Threat was still in front when the field turned for home but his pursuers were closing in. Up With the Birds, seeking to become the first Canadian-bred since Thornfield in 1999 to win the Pattison, with jockey John Velazquez up, appeared to briefly edge to the front in mid-stretch. But suddenly Cannock Chase and Moore found an opening and accelerated down the middle, pulling away for the easy tally.
“He had a good turn of foot today. He’s a good horse at this distance. The owner picked him out at Newmarket (yearling sale) for 400,000 pounds and it was a good buy,” said Rabbah racing manager Bruce Raymond. “Ryan Moore, he’s the best. We’re lucky to have him.”
Added Moore, “I’m very lucky. I get to ride very good horses. It worked out well today. I thought this horse was impressive. As soon as he got a bit of room, he quickened. He won easy.”
The last jockey to win both the E.P. Taylor and Canadian International in the same year was Gary Stevens in 1998, who rode Zomaradah in the E.P. Taylor and Royal Anthem in the International.
Cannock Chase was lightly-raced heading into today’s Grade 1 Pattison. He’d won three of his first four starts, including the Group 3 Tercentenary at Ascot in June of 2014 before heading to the sidelines with ‘some niggles in his feet, but nothing serious,” Stoute had explained.
He’d returned to the racing wars in April of this year and in his most recent outing, romped in a listed stake at Newmarket at the same mile and one-half distance as the Pattison, the first time he’d been that far.
Cannock Chase earned $600,000 for the win, his first Grade/Group 1 and his fifth victory in 10 career outings, to push his bankroll close to $800,000. He became the 28th four-year-old to win the race and it was also the 28th time a U.S.-bred had triumphed. He was also the first U.S.-bred to run in the race for Stoute, whose previous starters were either Irish or British-breds.
“I had a perfect trip,” said Hall of Famer John Velazquez, about Up With the Birds. “He tipped out and he was running so well that I thought they’re really going to have to run hard to beat him. He was absolutely rolling down the lane. He ran so well today.”
“I had a wall of horses in front of me going around the bend so I had to switch wide, which is never ideal, but he galloped all the way to the line,” said jockey Martin Lane, aboard Sheikhzayedroad. “He was game, as he always is. He ran a very good race. With a bit further, we might have got second but looking at the winner, that’s the best we could have done on the day.”
Sent postward a slight 5-2 choice over 3-1 Second Step, who finished ninth, Cannock Chase paid $7.50, $4.60 and $3.40, teaming with 10-1 Up With the Birds ($10.10, $7.10) for a $91.80 (2-5) exactor. A 2-5-3 (Sheikhzayedroad, $6.10) triactor returned $824.10, while a $1 Superfecta [2-5-3-10 (Kaigun)] was worth $3,970.95.
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