Horses Wild has the latest news in the horse racing industry from jockeys, trainers, owners and breeders. Get horse racing tips, betting picks from top horse racing handicappers, stakes race results.
Be part of the action as we cover the Triple Crown starting with the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. See the best of the best horses battle it out in the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships.
When it comes to horse racing, Horses Wild has got you covered.
Canadian International Stakes & Breeders’ Cup Challenge Races At Woodbine October 4
The richest card in Woodbine’s thoroughbred horse history (excluding the 1996 Breeders’ Cup) is set for Saturday, October 4, highlighted by the $2-million Canadian International Stakes (G1).
Not only will the Canadian International, which drew a field of 10 turf specialists, be contested, so will 3 other turf stakes — the $1 million E.P. Taylor Stakes for fillies and mares, the $500,000 Nearctic Stakes for sprinters, and the $300,000 Summer Stakes for 2-year-olds. All 4 events are 2008 Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” horse races where the winners be one of the Breeders’ Cup contenders into their respective Breeders’ Cup races, slated for October 24-25 at Santa Anita.
The 71st edition of the 1 1/2 mile Canadian International, Canada’s richest horse race, over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course at Woodbine with post time on 5:48 pm ET.
Heading the Canadian International is the much-travelled French-bred Doctor Dino, the field’s leading money winner with over $2.7 million. To be ridden for the first time by jockey Frankie Dettori, who has won two previous Canadian Internationals aboard Mutafaweq (2000) and Sulamani (2004), Doctor Dino counts the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase last December in Sha Tin and the Man O’ War (G1) at Belmont Park in September of 2007 as his two biggest triumphs, in a 27-race career which has seen the 6-year-old son of Muhtathir visit the winner’s circle on 8 occasions.
Trained by Richard Gibson for Spanish owner Javier Martinez Salmean, Doctor Dino enters the Canadian International off a second-place finish to Getaway in the Group 2 Grand Prix de Deauville on August 31. Only two French-breds have won the International, the last being champion All Along in 1983.
Juddmonte Farms’ Champs Elysees, to be ridden by jockey Garrett Gomez, will also attract plenty of support, off his thrilling nose triumph in the Northern Dancer (G1) at Woodbine on September 7, which made him horse racing’s newest millionaire. Earlier in the year, the British homebred 5-year-old son of Danehill took the San Marcos (G2) at Santa Anita Park, also with jockey Garrett Gomez aboard.
Trained by Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel, Champs Elysees, out of the dam Hasili, is a full-brother to Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winners Banks Hill and Intercontinental, and another Group 1 winner, Cacique. Champs Elysees is also a half-brother to Group 1 winner Heat Haze. Juddmonte has won 2 previous Canadian Internationals, with French Glory in 1990 and with stakes record-holder Raintrap in 1994, their last entrant in the turf classic. British-breds have won 6 Canadian Internationals, the latest by Collier Hill in 2006.
German-bred Quijano, trained by Peter Schiergen, makes his third appearance at Woodbine and a second consecutive start in the Canadian International. Last year, Quijano closed well on the outside to finish third, just a length behind Cloudy’s Knight and Ask in the Pattison.
This year, the 6-year-old gelded son of former German star Acatenango won the Group 1 Gran Premio di Milano on June 15, and most recently was beaten a nose by Pattison rival Champs Elysees in the Northern Dancer. In fact, the first five finishers in the Northern Dancer, separated by only one length, are coming back for another round in the Pattison.
Overall, Quijano has won 13 of 23 career starts and over $1.9 million for his owner-breeder Stiftung Gestuet Fahrhof. Jockey Andrasch Starke climbs aboard for the 14th consecutive time.
Gustav Schickedanz’s Ontario homebred Marlang is the only 3-year-old in the Canadian International, who will carry 119 pounds versus the 126 pounds carried by each of his 9 rivals. Trained by Debbie England, Marlang enters off a 2-race win streak, having taken the Breeders’ Stakes, the third leg of the Canadian Triple Crown on August 3 at the same distance, and most recently the mile and three-sixteenths Saranac (G3) at Saratoga on August 31.
Marlang will try to become the first Canadian-bred to win the Canadian International since Thornfield in 1999, who, coincidentally, was trained by England’s husband Phil, and ridden by jockey Richard Dos Ramos, who will also be aboard on Saturday. The other Canadian-breds to win were Chief Bearhart (1997), Sky Classic (1991), He’s A Smoothie (1967) and George Royal (1965 and 1966). Since 1958, 12 3-year-olds have won the International, the last being Phoenix Reach in 2003.
Augustin Stable’s Lucarno, a Pennsylvania homebred 4-year-old son of Dynaformer, arrives from his base in England for trainer John Gosden. Lucarno enjoyed a banner 3-year-old season, winning the Group 1 St. Leger at Doncaster and the Group 2 Great Voltigeur at York, en route to earning just over $1 million.
This year, Lucarno has a single win (Group 2 Princess of Wales’s Stakes) in five outings. Gosden previously saddled International favourites Presenting (1995), owned by Augustin, and Mashaallah (1992), but both were unplaced. He’ll be ridden by jcokey Jimmy Fortune, who finished third to Thornfield while aboard Courteous in the 1999 Canadian International.
Seaside Retreat, owned by William Farish Jr., has won 3 of his 7 2008 outings, including the Nijinsky Stakes (G2) at Woodbine on August 4 in track-record time for the 1 1/4 mile turf event. The 5-year-old gelded son of King Cugat raced only once in 2007, but has 7 career wins in 20 starts and is approaching the $1 million mark after his third-place finish in the Northern Dancer.
Trained by the reigning 2-time Sovereign Award winner Mark Casse, who will be saddling his first Canadian International entrant, Seaside Retreat will be ridden by jockey Patrick Husbands, a 5-time Sovereign Award winner as Canada’s outstanding jockey. Patrick Husbands finished second to Mutafaweq aboard Williams News in the 2000 International, beaten a nose on the wire.
Harlequin Ranches’ British-bred Spice Route, to be ridden by jockey Jim McAleney, was most recently fifth but only 1 length behind Champs Elysees in the Northern Dancer. The 4-year-old gelded son of King’s Best, a winner in three of 14 career outings, is trained by Hall of Famer Roger Attfield, who is still seeking his first International win, after second-place finishes with Alywow in 1994 and Steady Power in 1989.
Irish-bred Mourilyan, trained by Herman Brown for owner Ramzan Kadyrov, the President of Chechen Republic, is a 4-time winner in 10 career starts. The 4-year-old son of Desert Prince, most recently third in the Group 3 September Stakes at Kempton, England, will try to become the 10th Irish-bred to win the International and will be ridden for the first time by jockey John Egan.
German homebred Lauro, trained by Andreas Wohler for Gestut Ittlingen, will be making his first start in 18 months, after recovering from a pelvic injury. The 5-year-old son of Monsun, with only seven career starts, will be ridden by jockey Eduardo Pedroza. As a 3-year-old in 2006, though, Lauro defeated Rail Link, who would go on to win the prestigious Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe that year. Race horse trainer Andreas Wohler has saddled 2 second-place finishers in past Canadian Internationals, Paolini in 2001 and Simonas in 2004.
Completing the field is Marsh Side, trained by Neil Drysdale for owner-breeder Robert Evans. The strapping 5-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Gone West hasn’t won since taking the Valedictory Stakes at Woodbine in December of 2006, but had his best effort in some time when fourth in the Northern Dancer, just three-quarters of a length back of Champs Elysees. Jockey Javier Castellano rides.
The $1 million E.P. Taylor Stakes (G1) for fillies and mares at 1 1/4 miles on the turf, will go postward at 5:16 pm. It has drawn a well-matched field of 9, including J’ray, winner of the Canadian (G2) on September 7 at Woodbine, Canada’s 2007 Horse of the Year Sealy Hill, Godolphin’s Irish-bred Group 2 winner Folk Opera and New York-based Hostess, a two-time Grade 3 winner.
The 6 furlong $500,000 Nearctic Stakes (G2) at 4:35 pm, drew a field of 12, headed by defending champion Heros Reward and Just Rushing.
The 1 mile, $300,000 Summer Stakes for 2-year-olds, slated for 4:04 pm, has 8 entries, with Sam-Son Farm’s Grand Adventure, Jim Dandy Stable’s Utterly Cool, and stakes-placed Skipadate, co-owned and trained by Mark Casse, the favoured trio.
Horse racing news edited from www.woodbineentertainment.com.
Tip your horse racing buddies:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
10% Bonus + 3% Racebook Rebate
10% Free Cash Initial Deposit
Up to 30% Sign-up Bonus + 5% Weekly Rebate!
Get reward points for Free Bets