Canadian International 2014 Notes - October 13

EARLY LOOK AT THE PATTISON CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL (9)

 

Horse / Trainer / Owner / Jockey

Big Blue Kitten / Chad Brown / Ken & Sarah Ramsey / Joel Rosario

Brown Panther / Tom Dascombe / A Black & Owen Promotions Ltd / Richard Kingscote

Dynamic Sky / Mark Casse / John Oxley / Patrick Husbands

Hillstar / Sir Michael Stoute / Sir Evelyn De Rothschild / Ryan Moore

Reporting Star / Pat Parente / Copper Water Thoroughbred Company / Justin Stein

The Pizza Man / Roger Brueggemann / Midwest Thoroughbreds Inc. / Florent Geroux

War Dancer / Kenneth McPeek / Diamond M Stable / Luis Contreras 

Suntracer, a six-year-old son of Kitten’s Joy, comes into his second Grade 1 appearance off a splendid effort in the Grade 3 Kentucky Turf Cup on September 13, a gutsy nose win for owner Team Block. 

Boasting 35 career starts, the most of any starter going postward in Woodbine’s fall turf classic this Sunday, Suntracer’s connections will hope to celebrate lifetime win No. 8 in what will be his first test at Canada’s Showplace of Racing.   

A hot early pace would certainly boost his odds for victory.

His patented late turn of foot was certainly on display in the 1 ½-mile Kentucky Turf Cup. Tenth and last at the start, Suntracer methodically improved his position under Florent Geroux (who’ll ride The Pizza Man in the Pattison), taking a one-length lead at the stretch call and then holding on over ‘firm’ ground. 

It came on the heels of a disastrous ninth-place finish in the American St. Leger on August 16 when he was 20 lengths behind The Pizza Man.

“To be perfectly honest, I didn’t know what to expect in the Turf Cup,” said conditioner Chris Block, who trained Never Retreat to 2011 Horse of the Year and champion Turf Female Sovereign Award triumphs, for his family's Team Block. “I had never been more confident in his chances heading into the St. Leger. To this day, I still don’t know why he ran like that. He’s better than that. So, when he was cut loose and came running to win the Turf Cup, racing wide, too, it was very impressive.”

Suntracer has one win, one second and one third from seven starts this year.

Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s homebred Big Blue Kitten will certainly be one of the favourites, if not the post-time choice, for Sunday’s Grade 1, $1 million Pattison Canadian International.

Trained by Chad Brown and to be ridden by Joel Rosario for the first time, the six-year-old son of Kitten’s Joy-Spent Gold will try to go one better for this combination than Hyper did last year, when finishing a close second to Joshua Tree in the PCI.

Big Blue Kitten arrives off a fourth-place finish in the Turf Classic Invitational at Belmont Park on September 27, but less than three lengths behind winner Main Sequence, currently one of the favourites for the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

“It was a little disappointing,” said Brown.  “We really liked him going into the race.   There wasn’t a lot of pace in the race.  It wasn’t a bad effort but it wasn’t a winning effort, either.  But he came out of the race in great shape and he’s training well.  He had a maintenance breeze yesterday (four furlongs in 49 4/5 seconds at Saratoga) and went well.  If the turf is firm, we’re planning on bringing him up for the International.”

Blue Big Kitten is also the field’s leading money winner with almost $1.3 million, most of which came from his two Grade 1 wins last year, the United Nations at Monmouth Park and the Sword Dancer at Saratoga.  

“He ran terrific in both races.  It seems like the longer the better for him.”

Last year was an incredibly successful season for the consistent performer, as he won four of eight starts, was second twice and third once.   His only out-of-the-money finish was in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, yet was beaten less than five lengths in eighth.

“I thought he ran well but it was probably one race too many last year.  He’d had three pretty hard Grade 1’s in a row.”

Horse / Trainer / Jockey

Big Blue Spirit / Darrin Miller / TBA

Black Hornet / Pat Parente / Justin Stein

Calgary Cat / Kevin Attard / TBA

Caspar Netscher / David Simcock / TBA

Dreamsgonewild / Bruce Alexander / TBA

Excaper / Ian Black / Emma-Jayne Wilson

Paso Doble / Mark Fournier / TBA

Stormy Rush / Lorne Richards / TBA

A talented field of eight is set to contest the $300,000 Grade 2 Nearctic Stakes, a six furlong turf sprint.

Paso Doble, a now eight-year-old millionaire son of Bold n' Flashy, will try to earn his first turf win following three seconds from five grass starts. Eurico Rosa da Silva guided the Mark Fournier trainee to a head score in the Overskate Stakes last time out for owners Centennial Farms Niagara Inc.

Caspar Netscher ships to Woodbine from a fifth-place run in the Group 3 John Guest Bengough at Ascot on October 4. The five-year-old son of Dutch Art boasts a lifetime record of 5-4-2 from 25 starts. He is trained by David Simcock for owner Charles Wentworth.

Big Blue Spirit, a five-year-old son of Invincible Spirit trained by Darrin Miller for Silverton Hill LLC, arrives at the Nearctic from a rallying fifth-place effort in the Kentucky Downs Turf Dash.  A three-time winner form 19 starts, Big Blue Spirit started his career at the Curragh in Ireland before shipping to the U.S for new connections.

Black Hornet, Calgary Cat, Excaper, Stormy Rush, Dreamsgonewild are among the nominees also expected to start on Sunday.

 

The Pattison Canadian International, contested at 1 ½ miles over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course, is slated for Sunday, October 19 at Woodbine as part of a lucrative card that includes the grassy $500,000 Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes for fillies and mares and the $300,000 Grade 2 Nearctic Stakes, a six furlong turf sprint for three-year-olds and upwards.

 

The International will be aired live across Canada on TSN as part of a special broadcast from 3-4 p.m.

The post position draw will be streamed live on CanadianInternational.Com on Thursday October 16 at 12 p.m. with Toronto Maple Leaf legend Wendel Clark in attendance as the draw master. Follow Clark on Twitter @WendelClark17.