Alezzandro favored in turf debut

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Mike Fox, winner of the Queen's Plate, and Alezzandro, hero of the Prince of Wales, will play their rubber match Sunday in the $500,000 Breeders' Stakes here at Woodbine.

The Breeders', a 1 1/2-mile turf race, follows the 1 1/4-mile Queen's Plate and Fort Erie's 1 3/16-mile Prince of Wales in the Triple Crown series for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds.

A field of 10 was entered for the Breeders' on Thursday.

Alezzandro, front-running winner of the Prince of Wales with Mike Fox fourth in the field of six, has been made the 3-1 morning-line favorite by Woodbine oddsmaker Jennifer Morrison. Todd Kabel retains the mount on Alezzandro, who will be making his turf debut and will begin from post 8.

"When you get into the first bend everybody's jockeying for position, anyway," said Alezzandro's trainer, Kevin Attard. "By drawing outside, we'll get to see what everybody's doing."

Mike Fox, who rallied to upset the Queen's Plate with Alezzandro the runner-up, is next in the Breeders' odds at 7-2 and drew post 2.

"We'll get to save some ground into that first turn," said Ian Black, who trains Mike Fox.

Emma-Jayne Wilson will be back aboard Mike Fox, who finished third in his only start on turf in the 1 1/16-mile Cup and Saucer here last fall.

Marchfield, the only other horse who will compete in all three legs of the Triple Crown, has been listed as the 9-2 third choice under regular rider Patrick Husbands and will start from post 10.

Sixth in the Plate and fifth in the Prince of Wales for trainer Mark Casse, Marchfield also will be making his turf debut.

Next in the line at 6-1 is Twilight Meteor, who won the 1 1/16-mile Hallandale Beach on Gulfstream's turf course this winter and will be looking to rebound from a dismal seventh-place finish in the Queen's Plate.

Based at Belmont with trainer Todd Pletcher, Twilight Meteor drew post 4 and will have Chris DeCarlo aboard for the first time.

Ice Bear is the only other turf stakes winner in the field, having captured the one-mile Charlie Barley here June 24.

David Clark retains the mount on Ice Bear, who is listed at 8-1.

Rounding out the field are the invaders It's a Danzig and Top Speed, who each recorded his lone win in turf races south of the border, plus locals It's Like This, Walk With Kings, and Storm Castle.

Walk With Kings and Storm Castle, both maidens, are trained by Mark Frostad.

Golani, a maiden trained by Mike Keogh, had been pointing for the Breeders' but was lame on Friday morning and was not entered.