Kaigun Will Stretch Out to Twelve Furlongs in Canadian International

Ontario-bred Kaigun, a game fourth behind Mondialiste last time out in the Ricoh Woodbine Mile, under local jock Patrick Husbands, will stretch out to 12 furlongs in Sunday’s $1-million Pattison Canadian International.   

“After the Mile, Patrick said to me, 'He's back,'” advised trainer Mark Casse. The five-year-old chestnut was making just his third start of the season in the Mile after a layoff from January to July. “Kaigun is a tough horse. He'd put on a lot of weight. He's a big horse and it's taken us a while to get him back to himself.  We had thoughts of running in the Sycamore on Thursday (at Keeneland) and then possibly the Breeders' Cup, but we've decided to send him back to Woodbine for the International.”

Kaigun (Nippon Kaigun refers to the Imperial Japanese Navy) is no stranger to a distance of ground having finished fifth, defeated less than two lengths by Main Sequence, in the 2014 edition of the 1 3/8-mile Grade 1 United Nations, at Monmouth Park.

 “A lot of the time you don't know how good a race is until months after it's run,” said Casse. “If you go back and look at Kaigun's United Nation's race where he was beat a length and a half by Main Sequence, last year's Eclipse award winning grass horse (and champion older horse), and just behind Twilight Eclipse, that was pretty good.

“He also ran very well to be second in the Manhattan (1 ¼-mile G1 at Belmont),” continued Casse. “And, he ran well and was gaining ground in the Turf Classic (4th, going 1 1/8-mile at Churchill Downs), so it appears that he doesn't mind the farther distance.”

A $37,000 purchase at the 2011 Canadian Premier Yearling Sale, Kaigun has won five of 22 starts and quietly banked over $1 million, almost all of it coming since his conversion to turf racing in August of 2013.  “To me, it just shows that Canadian-breds can run with anybody. Kaigun is proof of that. We bought him right out of the CTHS Sale.”

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott will be seeking a second Pattison win after taking the 1995 edition with Lassigny. Jockey Joel Rosario will be trying to go one better than his last two Pattison results – both seconds – with Hyper in 2013 and with Big Blue Kitten in 2014.  Together, they teamed last month in the Ricoh Woodbine Mile with Lea and got beaten a half-length by Mondialiste.

On Sunday, their hopes lay with a five-year-old French homebred son of Monsun for Team Valor International and Gary Barber named Triple Threat – and the weather.   “We’re watching the weather.  If we run, we’d like to have good to firm ground.” 

 

After being previously campaigned by Andre Fabre in France for three seasons, winning a Group 3 and a Group 2, Triple Threat exploded onto the North America racing scene in June, fashioning a stretch kick to win the Grade 2 Monmouth Handicap at one mile and one-eighth on firm turf, recording a 99 Beyer (DRF speeding rating) in the process.   That effort came off a nine-month layoff.

“We thought that (the Monmouth race) was very good,” said Mott.  “No (we didn’t know much about him when we got him), we just looked at his (European) form and we learned about him as we went along.  We felt he potentially was a nice horse, which I think he’s proven out to be.”   

After a disappointing ninth-place finish over very yielding turf in the Arlington Million in August, Triple Threat was sent to Woodbine where he raced credibly in the Grade 1 Northern Dancer on September 13, but again over yielding ground, winding up third behind Pattison rivals Interpol and Habibi.  “The (yielding turf) might have taken a little bit of his acceleration away.”   

Rabbah Bloodstock will have two hopefuls going postward on Sunday in the Grade 1, $1 million Pattison Canadian International – homebred Sheikhzayedroad and Cannock Chase.

A little over a year ago, British-bred Sheikhzayedroad, a gelded son of Dubawi, came to Canada on a two-race win streak and promptly made it three straight for his trainer David Simcock, taking the Grade 1 Northern Dancer by a half-length over Dynamic Sky.

It was part of a Woodbine autumn to remember for England’s Simcock.   In addition to Sheikhzayedroad’s win, his Trade Storm took the Grade 1 Ricoh Woodbine Mile the same day and a month later Caspar Netscher captured the Grade 2 Nearctic.  Three for three in three biggies.

However, six-year-old Sheikhzayedroad, an eight-time winner in 29 career starts, hasn’t found the winner’s circle in eight outings since.  “We’ve had this race in mind for about three months,” said Simcock.   “He’s had a long season but he’s a fresh horse now.  He had a tough break at Chester (last out, he dwelt at the start, but still finished third) on ground that was too soft for him.   

“His (racing) lines may not be as good as last year but his fourth at Royal Ascot (the Group 2 Hardwicke stakes on June 20) was very good.   He ran poor at Newmarket for no apparent reason then we tried him at two miles (at Goodwood).    This should be much more up his street.  We won’t change anything.  We’ll try to bring him home strong.  He won’t want it too soft, though.  He’s in excellent order.  We’re confident he’ll run very well.”

Aboard will be his regular pilot, Martin Lane, who rode him to victory in the Northern Dancer, when coming from well back in the mile and one-half contest.

While Sheikhzayedroad is not only well-travelled but also well-tested, four-year-old Cannock Chase is the opposite, a four-year-old Kentucky-bred with only eight career starts.  However, his connections are impeccable.    The son of Lemon Drop Kid is conditioned by Sir Michael Stoute, a two-time winner of the International (Singspiel in 1996, Hillstar in 2014), while his jockey is Ryan Moore, a two-time consecutive winner of the Pattison (Joshua Tree in 2013, Hillstar in 2014).

Despite limited campaigning, Cannock Chase has won three times, including a Group 3 at Ascot last year.   He enters off a romp in a minor stake at Newmarket on September 25.

“He had a good run in his first three (career) races,” said Stoute.  “Then he had some niggles in his feet, nothing serious, so we had to put him away (in June of 2014),” said Stoute.  

Regarding his latest, “He won well the other day.   Obviously we dropped him in class, it was a listed race.  I’m happy with his condition and he just proved that he got a mile and a half.  That’s the first time we ran him over a mile and a half.”

As far as being a prep for the Pattison, “We’ll know on Sunday if it was (a good prep).  He’s in with a shot.”

Sunday’s lucrative International undercard includes the Grade 1, $500,000 E.P. Taylor, at one mile and one-quarter for fillies and mares featuring a probable field of 13 led by local hope Strut the Course, Group 2 winning British-bred shipper Curvy, and German-bred Group 2 winner Lacy, who missed a Group 1 score in the Premio Longines Lydia Tesio, at Capannelle, Italy, by a nose.

Sunday's undercard also includes the grassy Grade 2, $300,000 Nearctic at six furlongs and the Grade 2 $150,000 Ontario Fashion Stakes at six furlongs on the 'Poly' for older fillies and mares.

BUTTON DOWN (GB) / Josie Carroll / Greenwood Lodge Farm

CURVY (GB) / David Wachman / Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier & Derrick Smith

DEVONSHIRE (IRE) / W. McCreery / Godolphin

EASTERN BELLE (GB) / Graham Motion / Oppenheimer Antoinette

LACY (GER) / Hickst Waldemar / Gestuet Fahrhof

LLANARMON / Roger Attfield / Triton Stable and Robert N. Clay

NAKUTI (IRE) / Sylvester Kirk / Nelius Hayes

ROASLIND / Chad Brown / Bethlehem Stables LLC, Michael Dubb

STRUT THE COURSE / Barb Minshall / John Unger

TALMADA / Roger Varian / Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum

UCHENNA (IRE) / Roger Attfield / Triton Stable

WHITE ROSE / Bill Mott / Jake Ballis and Rashard Lewis

YAAZY (IRE) / J. Hammond / H Al Maktoum