Canada’s Champion Male Sprinter title is up for grabs and Sunday’s Grade 2 Kennedy Road stakes, worth $175,000, could go a long way toward determining who will win the Sovereign Award for 2022.
Since the retirement of the great Pink Lloyd, the sprint division in Ontario (and Canada) has been wide open with several different winners of the graded sprint stakes. There were not any graded sprint stakes in western Canada and few sprint stakes races for males overall at tracks in Vancouver, Alberta and Manitoba.
Eleven fellows will line up for the Kennedy Road at 6 furlongs including 4 horses who won sprint stakes in Ontario in 2022.
American invader ARZAK (Not This Time), who is 3-for-3 at Woodbine on Tapeta and a two-time stakes winner in Ontario this year, would seem to have the upper hand for the Sovereign for Sonata Stable and trainer Michael Trombetta. The speedy chestnut 4-year-old colt won the Thorncliffe Stakes in April in track record time and the Grade 3 Jacques Cartier in May. He then finished second in the Grade 2 Highlander on the turf, fourth to Golden Pal in the Grade 3 Troy Stakes at Saratoga, and recently fourth in the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint on yielding grass at Aqueduct.
Off for almost 7 weeks, Arzak starts from post 11 with Kazushi Kimura riding and a good showing on Sunday would help his Sovereign cause.
SECRET RESERVE, an Ontario-sired and bred gelding, won the Grade 3 Bold Venture Stakes in August and was recently a troubled third in the Grade 3 Vigil Stakes behind LUCKY SCORE, who is also in the Kennedy Road field.
Trained by Mike Mattine for Carlo D’Amato and Stacey Van Camp, Secret Reserve was 1 1/2 lengths behind Lucky Score and speedster Rockcrest in the Bold Venture.
“It was just a tough trip, but it’s racing, and that happens,” said Mattine. “He’s been training well since the race. He loves to train. He’s a happy horse and he’s looking to run. He’s very eager to race again. He’s a very honest horse and he puts it all out there. He gives you an honest effort every time you bring him over.”
Lucky Score, fourth in the Bold Venture, was 6-to-1 when he won the Vigil for Dominic Liscio and Danny Iandoli and trainer William Armata. MASON’S GAMBLE won the restricted Ontario Jockey Club Stakes in June and was recently second in the restricted Overskate Stakes on turf.
SILENT POET, graded stakes-placed twice in 2022, seeks his first win of the season and the Stronach Stables’ gelding is nearing $1 million in earnings.
Pink Lloyd won three runnings (2017, 2019 and 2021) of the Kennedy Road. Stacked Deck (2015, 2016) and Blitzer (1994, 1995) have both won the race twice. Mr. Hot Shot won the inaugural edition in 1989.
First post on Sunday’s 10-race card is 1:20 p.m. Fans can watch and wager on all the action through HPIbet.com and the Dark Horse Bets app.
GRADE 2 KENNEDY ROAD STAKES
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Lucky Score – Leo Salles – William Armata
2 – Roaring Forties – Declan Carroll – Katerina Vassilieva
3 – Mason’s Gamble – Patrick Husbands – Josie Carroll
4 – Rockcrest – Keveh Nicholls – Nigel Burke
5 – Candy Overload – Sahin Civaci – Mark Casse
6 – Red River Rebel – David Moran – Kevin Attard
7 – Striker – Luis Contreras – Josie Carroll
8 – Secret Reserve – Rafael Hernandez – Mike Mattine
9 – Ice Chocolat (BRZ) – Sahin Civaci – Mark Casse
10 – Silent Poet – Justin Stein – Nick Gonzalez
11 – Arzak – Kazushi Kimura – Michael Trombetta
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