Pattison Canadian International notes for Saturday, October 14, 2017

Pattison Canadian International notes for Saturday, October 14, 2017

​FIELD FOR THE PATTISON CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL (10)
Post – Horse – Trainer – Jockey – Morning Line Odds
1. Oscar Nominated – Michael Maker – Julien Leparoux – 8-1
2. Flamboyant – Patrick Gallagher – Joel Rosario – 6-1
3. Enterprising – Michael Maker – Rafael Hernandez – 20-1
4. Idaho – Aidan O’Brien – Ryan Moore – 5-2
5. Johnny Bear – Ashlee Brnjas – Luis Contreras – 12-1
6. Postulation – Edward Graham – Jorge A. Vargas Jr. – 12-1
7. Bullards Alley – Tim Glyshaw – Eurico Rosa da Silva – 20-1
8. Messi – H. Graham Motion – Jose Ortiz – 8-1
9. Erupt – H. Graham Motion – Junior Alvarado – 7-2
10. Chemical Charge – Ralph Beckett – Oisin Murphy – 5-1

MAKER QUARTET LOOKING TO MAKE THEIR MARKS IN THREE STAKES ON CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL DAY

Michael Maker trainees Oscar Nominated and Enterprising, for the Grade 1 Pattison Canadian International; Kitten’s Joy, for the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor; and Gorgeous Kitten, for the Grade 3 Ontario Derby, checked into Woodbine on Friday evening following a 12-hour van ride from Louisville.

“Everything looks good, everybody’s training well,” said Nolan Ramsey, grandson of owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey, who own Oscar Nominated, Kitten’s Roar, and Gorgeous Kitten. “It was one of the better ships we’ve had. No problems at all, no traffic.”

Oscar Nominated is coming off a game win in the Grade 3 Kentucky Cup Turf Cup, a 1 1/2 mile turf race in which Enterprising finished ninth in an uncharacteristic effort. The pair will be racing over the same distance and surface in the $800,000 Canadian International for three-year-olds and upward.

Enterprising won two graded stakes at Fair Grounds this winter for owner Sidney Karmia’s Maxis Stable.

Kitten’s Roar will be looking to give Maker and the Ramseys a second straight win in the  E.P. Tayor, a 1 1/4 mile turf race for fillies and mares which they won last year with Al’s Gal.

The five-year-old homebred is coming off a convincing win in the Ramsey Farm Stakes, a 1 5/16 mile turf race which was run over yielding going at Kentucky Downs.

Gorgeous Kitten will be looking to give Maker his third win in the Ontario Derby, a 1 1/8 mile race for three-year-olds which he annexed with Stately Victor in 2010 and Derby Kitten, the latter owned by the Ramseys, in 2011.

The homebred ran second in the Grade 3 Arlington Classic and that tracks’ Grade 3 American Derby on the turf this summer and third in the 1 1/16 mile Rushaway on Turfway’s Polytrack this spring.

Bullards Alley also arrived for the Canadian International on Friday evening, vanning from Churchill Downs for trainer Tim Glyshaw.

“He ran his best race up here; that’s one of the reasons we came back,” said Glyshaw, who sent out Bullards Alley to finish second, beaten a neck, in the Grade 3 Singspiel over the Canadian International course and distance on July 2.

“He likes the turf a little better when it’s softer; that’s why he didn’t run as well last time at Kentucky Downs.”

Bullards Alley finished sixth in the Kentucky Turf Cup, 3 1/2 lengths behind Oscar Nominated.

“He always tries,” said Glyshaw. “But if a lot of the others bring their ‘A’ games, he might be in trouble.”

The Graham Motion Canadian International trainees Erupt, the defending champion, and Messi, coming off a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Northern Dancer, both galloped on the main track for the second straight day.

Assistant trainer Alice Clapham was aboard Messi while Mary Motion, a niece of the trainer’s, piloted Erupt.

Earlier, Clapham guided leading E.P. Taylor candidate Quidura for her gallop on the Tapeta.

Quidura made her first appearance here a memorable one, capturing the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on the turf.

The Motion runners arrived Thursday evening.

Postulation, beaten a head  as the runner-up in the Kentucky Cup Turf, also galloped on the main track under assistant trainer Brianne Slater.

Trained by Eddie Graham, Postulation also checked in Thursday evening.

Flamboyant, who took up temporary residence in Michael Doyle’s barn here a week ago Thursday, galloped on the main track under exercise rider Calvin Doyle.

Based in California with trainer Paddy Gallagher, who arrived Thursday evening, Flamboyant has been coming close while on a steady diet of graded stakes but will be looking to end a 10-race winless drought.

Rainha Da Bateria and Fourstar Crook, both trained by Chad Brown, signed in for the E.P. Taylor on Friday evening and galloped on the main track this morning.

The five-year-old Rainha Da Bateria finished a close fifth in the E.P. Taylor last year after capturing the Canadian.

She returned here this July to finish first in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly, dead heating with Starship Jubilee over the E.P. Taylor’s course and distance.

Foustar Crook, who has made all of her career starts on turf,  is a four-time turf stakes winner in New York-bred company and captured the Group 3 Dr. James Penny Memorial in Philadelphia this spring.

The European candidates for the Canadian International and E.P. Taylor all galloped on the Tapeta this morning.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained Idaho will be looking to make amends in the Canadian International after finishing fifth as the favourite last year.

The four-year-old colt arrived late Thursday evening along with stablemate Rain Goddess, who will be the only three-year-old in the E.P. Taylor field and has two Group 1 stakes placings to her credit.

Accompanying the two horses on their trip from Ireland were traveling head lad Kieran Murphy and exercise riders Ben Dalton, for Idaho, and Darren O’Dwyer, for Rain Goddess.

Both galloped on the main track for the second straight morning.

Chemical Charge, who checked in early last Tuesday morning, a, galloped a mile on the Tapeta under exercise rider Joao Cardoso.

Trained by Ralph Beckett, Chemical Charge will be seeking his third straight win with his latest coming in the Group 3 September Stakes over 1 1/2 miles of Polytrack.

Nezwaah and Blond Me, both solid candidates for the E.P. Taylor, also arrived on the flight with Chemical Charge and Cotai Glory, who is here for Sunday’s Grade 2 Nearctic.

The four-year-old Nezwaah, who is trained by Roger Varian, galloped on the Polytrack under traveling head lad Wayne Tanner for the fourth straight morning.

Nezwaah defeated Rain Goddess when becoming a Group 1 winner in the Pretty Polly at The Curragh this summer.

Blond Me, trained by Andrew Balding, had a 5 1/2 furlong gallop on the main track under traveling head lass Leanne Masterton, who had the filly out on the turf course the filly Thursday.

The Irish-bred five-year-old has won two Group 2s and is Group 1-placed for owner Barbara Keller, who has been at the barn the past two mornings.

Dowse’s Beach and White Flag arrived early Saturday morning after vanning from Belmont  for the $250,000 Nearctic, the six-furlong turf race for three-year-olds and upward which will be the first of the four stakes features here Sunday.

The 5-2 second choice on the morning line, Dowse’s Beach ran very well in a previous appearance here, setting the pace and giving way only grudgingly to finish second, beaten a neck, in the Grade 2 Play the King over seven furlongs of turf.

The six-year-old gelding’s trainer, Brad Cox, won the Grade 2 Highlander here in July with Green Mask, who was hot on the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint trail until suffering a career-ending injury while training four weeks ago.

White Flag is the only three-year-old in the eight-horse Nearctic field and is the third choice at 7-2. The Kentucky-bred will be looking for his fourth straight win for conditioner Christophe Clement.

Cotai Glory, the 2-1 favourite, galloped six furlongs on the main turf course for the third straight morning under exercise rider Michael Murphy.

The English-bred five-year-old has won a pair of Group 3 stakes and placed in a pair of Group 1s for trainer Charlie Hills.

Circle of Friends, a locally based candidate for the Nearctic, galloped on the turf course for the fourth straight morning.

Senior Investment, trained by Ken McPeek, arrived Friday night for the Ontario Derby.

The Kentucky-bred won the Grade 3, 1 1/16 mile Lexington Stakes at Keeneland this April and then finished third at 31-1 in the Preakness.

AIDAN O’BRIEN INCHES CLOSER TO RECORD

Trainer Aidan O’Brien is just one victory away from equalling Bobby Frankel’s record of 25 Group/Grade 1 wins in a single year. O’Brien earned his 24th Group 1 victory of 2016 today in the Darley Dewhurst in Newmarket with US Navy Flag leading a 1-2-3-4 sweep of the top spots for his stable.

O’Brien will send out Rain Goddess in the $500,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes (Race 9) and then Idaho in the $800,000 Pattison Canadian International (Race 10) on Sunday at Woodbine.