Toronto, ON – A select field of eight turf specialists will contest the $2 million, Grade 1 Pattison Canadian International, Saturday at Woodbine.
In addition to the mile and one-half Pattison, which is Canada’s richest horse race, two other turf stakes will highlight the undercard – the $1 million E.P. Taylor, at one mile and one-quarter, for fillies and mares, and the six furlong, $500,000 Nearctic for three-year-olds and upward. All three stakes are also Breeders’ Cup ‘Win and You’re In’ races, meaning the winners will earn berths into their respective Breeders’ Cup races, slated for November 6 and 7 at Santa Anita Park in California.
The 72nd edition of the International is slated to go postward at 5:40 pm ET. ESPN HD will provide special two-hour live coverage of the racing feast from Woodbine, with TSN HD carrying the presentation across Canada from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm ET.
This is the seventh year that Pattison Outdoor, Canada’s largest outdoor advertising company, has sponsored Woodbine’s turf classic, which rewards the winner with $1.2 million.
Patrick Chan, Canada’s two-time reigning figure skating champion and 2009 world silver medallist, was the guest drawmaster when the post positions were determined on Wednesday.
Alan Spence’s Jukebox Jury (PP7), trained by Mark Johnston, has been installed a slight 5-2 morning line favorite in his North American debut, in a Pattison field which consists of three British-breds, two Irish-breds, two U.S.-breds and one German-bred.
The three-year-old Irish-bred son of champion Montjeu has won three of his six outings this year, including his last two, the Group 2 Grand Prix de Deauville in France on August 30 and the Group 1 Preis von Europa in Cologne, Germany on September 27. Earlier in the year, he also hooked superhorse Sea the Stars in the Grade 1 Eclipse, but faded to sixth. “He’s travelled really, really well,” said Hayley Kelly, assistant to Mark Johnston, about Jukebox Jury. “It’s his first time travelling and he ate and drank the whole way here. He’s settled in really well. He seems happy enough to be here and has been working well over the track. He’ll definitely appreciate the long stretch. It will suit him well.”
Johnston’s best International results came with Fruits of Love, who finished second to Thornfield in 1999 and Yavana’s Pace, who was third behind Ballingarry in 2002. Jukebox Jury will be ridden, as usual, by Royston Ffrench. As the only three year-old in the race, he’ll carry just 119 pounds versus the 126 pounds for his rivals. He’ll try to become the first three-year-old to win since Phoenix Reach in 2003 and the 10th Irish-bred to do so, the last being Relaxed Gesture in 2005.
Defending champion Marsh Side (PP5, 7-2), who lit up last year’s toteboard with a record $61.20 mutuel while winning by one and three-quarter lengths, will be ridden once again by Javier Castellano
for trainer Neil Drysdale and owner-breeder Robert Evans. The strapping six-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Gone West enters the Pattison off an unofficial half-length winning effort in the $750,000
Northern Dancer, here on September 20. However, he was subsequently disqualified for interfering with Quijano and Champs Elysees on the rail in mid-stretch and was placed fourth. While he hasn’t won since last year’s Pattison, Marsh Side, a career earner of over $1.8 million, travelled to Dubai in March, where he finished a respectable fifth in the $5 million Dubai Sheema Classic. He then returned to the United States, where he was second to Gio Ponti in the Grade 1 Manhattan on June 6 at Belmont, before a sixth-place finish to the same horse in the Man O’ War on July 11. “With eight runners, it’s going to be a very tactical race,” said Patrick Lawley-Wakelin, Racing Manager for Robert Evans. “Post five is great. It’s right in the middle of all the action. I’m sure there won’t be too many people trying to get on the inside of us. Our horse is in tremendous form. The ground will be to his liking. I look for an outstanding run.”
Since 1958, when the race became a grass contest, only one other horse has won back-to-back Internationals…Canadian-bred George Royal in 1965-66. The top three finishers from last year – Marsh Side, Spice
Route and Champs Elysees – are also renewing their rivalry this year, the first time in the modern history of the race that it has happened. U.S.-breds have captured 27 editions of the International.
Juddmonte Farms’ homebred Champs Elysees (PP1, 4-1), to be ridden by Garrett Gomez, will also receive plenty of support, off his troubled journey in the Northern Dancer, a race he won in 2008. He finished
fourth but was promoted to third after the disqualification of winner Marsh Side. He’s also winless this year after taking three of nine starts in 2008, including the Grade 1 Hollywood Turf Cup last December. Trained by Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel, British-bred Champs Elysees is out of the dam Hasili and thus is a full-brother to Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winners Banks Hill and Intercontinental and another Group 1 winner, Cacique. Juddmonte has won two previous Internationals, with French Glory in 1990 and with stakes record-holder Raintrap in 1994. British-breds have won six Internationals, the last by Collier Hill in 2006.
Just as Well (PP4, 6-1), owned and trained by Jonathan Sheppard, was elevated to the top spot in the Northern Dancer after the disqualification of Marsh Side. Bred by Augustin Stable, the Kentucky-bred six-year-old son of A.P. Indy has earned just over $1 million, despite missing almost two full seasons at the track from mid-June of 2006 to May of 2008. Earlier this year, he won the Grade 3 Arlington Handicap, before finishing second to Gio Ponti in the Grade 1 Arlington Million on August 8. He’ll be ridden by Julien Leparoux.
German-bred Quijano (PP3, 6-1), trained by Peter Schiergen, makes his third consecutive start in the International. In 2007, he closed well on the outside to finish third, just a length behind Cloudy’s Knight and Ask. Last year, though, he inexplicably turned in a dull effort, finishing a distant ninth to Marsh Side. This year, the seven-year-old gelded son of German star Acatenango successfully defended his title in the Group 1 Gran Premio di Milano on June 14 at San Siro, before being shipped to North America, where he finished an excellent third to Gio Ponti in the Man O’ War. After a sixth-place result to Telling in the Sword Dancer at Saratoga, Quijano, the field’s leading money winner, with over $2.4 million while winning 14 of 30 career starts, contested the Northern Dancer, finishing just a half-length behind Marsh Side in third, before being elevated to second.
British-bred Spice Route (PP8, 8-1), to be ridden by Jim McAleney, comes into the Pattison off an almost three-month layoff, since finishing fifth to Rahy’s Attorney in the Nijinsky Stakes at Woodbine on July 26. In last year’s Pattison, he finished a shocking second to Marsh Side at 38-1. This year, the five-year-old gelded son of King’s Best won the Grade 2 Elkhorn at Keeneland in April at the Pattison distance of one and one-half miles, was second to Brass Hat in the Louisville Handicap, May 23 at Churchill Downs, then fourth to Presious Passion in the Grade 1 United Nations at Monmouth Park on July 4. Co-owned by Harlequin Ranches, Ralph Johnson and trainer Roger Attfield, Spice Route will be trying to give the Hall of Fame conditioner his first International win after second-place finishes with Alywow in 1994 and Steady Power in 1989.
Buccellati (PP6, 10-1), trained by Andrew Balding, who won the 2003 Pattison International with Phoenix Reach, has taken eight of 24 lifetime outings, including the Group 3 Ormonde Stakes at Chester
earlier this year. The five-year-old British-bred son of Soviet Star also raced well in last year’s Group 1 Hong Kong Vase, finishing sixth, just two lengths behind Doctor Dino. In his latest start, Buccellati, to be ridden as usual by William Buick, finished fourth to Spanish Moon in the Group 2 Prix Foy at Longchamp on September 13.
Irish-bred Allied Powers (PP2, 15-1), trained by Michael Bell, is a one-time winner in six starts in England and Ireland this year. Owned by David Fish and Edward Ware, the four-year-old son of Invincible Spirit was most recently second to Poet in the Group 3 Kilternan Stakes at Leopardstown on September 5. He will be ridden for the first time by Jim Crowley.
The stakes record for the mile and one-half over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course is 2:25 3/5 seconds, set by Juddmonte Farms’ Raintrap in 1994. The largest winning margin still belongs to the incomparable Secretariat, when ‘Big Red’ coasted home by six and one-half lengths in his farewell appearance in 1973. He is also the shortest-priced winner in history, paying $2.40.
Favourites have won the International 20 of 51 times (39.2%) since 1958, the last to do so being Sulamani, the 4-5 choice in 2004 and before him, Chief Bearhart in 1997.
The Grade 1, $1 million E.P. Taylor Stakes, presented by Fly Emirates, will go postward at 5:03 pm and has drawn a great field of eight, including England Group 1 winners Rainbow View, the 8-5 morning line favourite and Look Here, the 3-1 second choice.
The Grade 2, $500,000 Nearctic Stakes, at 4:23 pm, drew a field of 11, headed by Jungle Wave, the recent fourth place finisher to Ventura in last month’s Woodbine Mile, at 5-2 and 2007 Nearctic winner Heros Reward, at 7-2.
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