Two Canadian-based three-year-olds are entered Saturday at Aqueduct in the Grade 3 Hill Prince Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on the turf and while both are pegged at 12-to-1, either one has a chance to take the $200,000 race.
THUNDERING, owned by Jal Dastur and trained by Pat Dixon, and CHURCH AND STATE, owned by Dominic DiLalla and trained by Dale Desruisseaux, line up beside each other in the Hill Prince in posts 2 and 3. Nine horses were entered in the race, with Pin Oak Stud’s Stars and Strides tabbed as the 2-to-1 favourite.
Dastur’s homebred Thundering, foaled in Maryland, won the Display Stakes last year at Woodbine and has been a bit unlucky in 2025. He was second by half a length to Church and State in the Toronto Cup at Woodbine and then lost the $152,000 Kent Stakes at Delaware on Sept. 27 by a nose to Soleil Volant. The latter is also in the Hill Prince field.
Dixon, who is also the private trainer for Colebrook Farms, will take the blinkers off Thundering and the bay son of Mosler will have John Velazquez as his rider for the first time.
DiLalla’s Centennial Farm Niagara has enjoyed two stakes wins with the dark grey Church and State. The son of Caravaggio won the King Corrie Stakes in May and the Toronto Cup in August. In the $150,000 Gio Ponti Stakes at Aqueduct on Sept. 28, Church and State fell too far behind a quick pace and closed belatedly to be fifth. The second-place finisher, Capitol Hill, came back to win an allowance race with an 88 Beyer Speed Figure.
Church and State has had two strong workout times at Woodbine for the hot stable of Desruisseaux. Dylan Davis will ride.
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