Toronto, ON – The consistent Bear Now, the fleet Fatal Bullet and 2007 Horse of the Year Sealy Hill head a list of 15 runners with Canadian connections that have been pre-entered to the 25th Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, set for Santa Anita Park, in Arcadia, California on Friday, October 24, and Saturday, October 25.
Bear Now, Bear Stables Ltd.’s outstanding four-year-old Tiznow filly, is entered in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic, formerly known as the Distaff, which she competed in last year, at Monmouth Park. After racing at Woodbine over the summer (wins in Hill ‘N’ Dale and Ontario Matron), the Reade Baker trainee journeyed to Kentucky, where she won Turfway Park’s Grade 3 Kentucky Cup Distaff, a ‘Win and You’re In’ event. Woodbine jockey Eurico Rosa da Silva, who rode her at the Florence, Kentucky oval, is expected to get the call.
Da Silva will also partner three-year-old Fatal Bullet, who is also a Bear Stable colour-bearer, in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. The bay son of Red Bullet is 6-for-6 on synthetic surfaces this season, including a 7 3/4-length triumph in the Grade 3 Kentucky Cup Sprint at Turfway Park.
The top-three finishers from the Summer Stakes have also made their way to Santa Anita for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. In their Woodbine meeting, Sam-Son Farm charge Grand Adventure finished a head in front of Mark Casse-trained Skipadate. Star of David, who was conditioned at Woodbine in the barn of trainer Steven Asmussen, was a further three lengths behind in the Summer.
Mazarine Stakes champ Van Lear Rose is set to compete in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. The Ontario-bred daughter of Stroll is owned by Kingview Farms and trained by Catherine Day Phillips.
Greg De Gannes trainee C Karma earned her way into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with her neck score in the Grade 3 Natalma Stakes at Woodbine. The turf event was one of six ‘Win and You’re In’ events hosted at Woodbine.
Leading the contingent of Windsor, Ontario native J. Paul Reddam is two-year-old Square Eddie. In his first North American start, the son of Smart Strike captured the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Keeneland in decisive fashion. Square Eddie was bred in Ontario by Kinghaven Farms.
Reddam is also represented in the Breeders’ Cup Turf by Red Rocks, who won the same event in 2006. Reddam also co-owns Black Magic Mamma (also eligible for Juvenile Fillies and Juvenile Fillies Turf) and Mark S the Cooler (also eligible for Juvenile Turf).
Final entries will be drawn on Tuesday, October 21.
Canadian content in the Breeders’ Cup:
FRIDAY
1. FILLY AND MARE SPRINT
(none)
2. JUVENILE FILLIES TURF
C Karma (trained by Woodbine-based Greg De Gannes)
Black Magic Mama (co-owned by Windsor, Ontario native J. Paul Reddam)
Internally Flawless (owned and bred by Charles Fipke, a native of
Edmonton, Alberta)
3. JUVENILE FILLIES
Van Lear Rose (Ontario-bred owned by Kingview Farms, trained by
Catherine Day Phillips)
Black Magic Mama (co-owned by Windsor, Ontario native J. Paul Reddam)
4. FILLY AND MARE TURF
Sealy Hill (Ontario-bred owned by Melnyk Racing Stables, trained by
Mark Casse of Toronto)
5. LADIES CLASSIC
Bear Now (owned by Bear Stables (Danny Dion) of Edmonton, Alberta,
trained by Reade Baker of Toronto, to be ridden by Eurico Rosa da Silva
of Toronto)
Ginger Punch (Canadian owned by Stronach Stables (Frank Stronach) of
Aurora, Ontario)
SATURDAY
1. MARATHON
(none)
2. TURF SPRINT
Storm Treasure (Woodbine-based runner trained by Steven Asmussen)
3. DIRT MILE
(none)
4. MILE
(none)
5. JUVENILE
Square Eddie (Ontario-bred, Canadian-owned by J. Paul Reddam, native of
Windsor, Ontario)
6. JUVENILE TURF
Grand Adventure (Canadian-owned by Sam-Son Farm (Milton, Ontario),
trained by Mark Frostad of Toronto, Ontario
Skipadate (trained by Mark Casse of Toronto)
Mark S the Cooler (Canadian-owned by J. Paul Reddam, native of Windsor,
Ontario)
Star of David (Woodbine-based runner trained by Steven Asmussen)
7. SPRINT
Fatal Bullet (Bear Now (owned by Bear Stables (Danny Dion) of Edmonton,
Alberta, trained by Reade Baker of Toronto, to be ridden by Eurico Rosa
da Silva of Toronto)
8. TURF
Red Rocks (Canadian-owned by John P. Reddam, a native of Windsor,
Ontario)
9. CLASSIC
(none)