Attard confident Bunyan can keep improving in Cup and Saucer
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Bunyan, whom trainer Kevin Attard calls a big, lumbering horse, looks live in Sunday’s $300,000 Cup and Saucer Stakes for 2-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the main turf at Woodbine.
Bunyan had worked encouragingly heading into his debut in a seven-furlong maiden special on the main turf. Sent off at 3-1 from post 11, the gray/roan colt raced wide throughout while closing from eighth to finish a respectable third.
Attard felt that Bunyan showed his inexperience in the Sept. 13 opener.
“I thought he ran a little green around the turn,” Attard recalled. “It looked like he lost focus. And then coming down the stretch, he was looking at the grandstand but then started gaining some ground.”
Attard believes the Ontario-bred son of Hard Spun could have a bright future.
“He’s always trained like a horse who wants to go far,” Attard explained. “I think that start has helped him, too. He seems more keen now, like the light bulb has almost clicked. He’s a big, lumbering horse. I think with racing experience, he’ll get better. I think he has a good future. He’s got a great mind. He acts like a good horse. I’m hoping he lives up to expectations.”
The 10-horse field of Canadian-breds also includes King’s Counsel, Ghostface, Canada, Sunny’s Rainbow, and Glorious Gem.
Following back-to-back seconds in maiden special weight company, King’s Counsel graduated in style Aug. 30 in the $300,000 Simcoe Stakes for graduates of Canadian yearling sales. The son of By My Standards made all four of his starts in Tapeta sprints for trainer Barbara Minshall and is a half-brother to Minshall’s Breeders’ Stakes victor British Royalty.
Ghostface won a maiden race second time out in a seven-furlong maiden special on the main turf while beating Sunny’s Rainbow and Bunyan.
Trainer Mark Casse, who has won the Cup and Saucer seven times, sends out Ghostface and Canada, who checked in second in his only start, a maiden special sprint on the Tapeta Sept. 6.
Sunny’s Rainbow was supplemented by trainer Mike DePaulo, who has two Cup and Saucer scores to his credit. In his debut Sept. 13, Sunny’s Rainbow led until late stretch where he weakened late to finish a length behind Ghostface while a length ahead of Bunyan.
Glorious Gem is a promising filly trained by Dale Desruisseaux, who sent out the gifted filly Dixie Law to win last year’s Cup and Saucer. Glorious Gem took the long way home while closing from sixth to finish a clear second at first asking in a maiden special on the main turf Sept. 13.
“We think she fits here and we have her ready to go on Sunday,” Desruisseux said. “She is a staying-type filly who looks like she will love to run long, and she even trains that way. She doesn’t have a big turn of foot, but she just grinds away and keeps going that speed the whole way.”
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