Attard has strong pair in Play the King prep

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Sid Attard will be holding a pair of aces in Friday’s fourth race, when he runs Jungle Wave and Utterly Cool in the 6 1/2-furlong allowance on turf, that serves as the prep for the Aug. 29 Play the King Stakes.

Jungle Wave was a $62,500 claim in the spring of 2009 by Tucci Stable. He went on to win this race last year, along with the Grade 2 Play the King, which was a tune-up for the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile. In the $1 million Woodbine Mile, he finished a respectable fourth behind Ventura, Ferneley, and Sterwins after leading at the eighth pole.

Jungle Wave commenced his current campaign by running a flat fourth in the allowance prep for the Grade 3 Connaught Cup Stakes, and came back to finish third in the seven-furlong Connaught itself. He was a close third behind Signature Red and front-runner Heros Reward most recently over six furlongs in the Grade 2 Highlander Stakes.

Chantal Sutherland will ride Jungle Wave, who breezed five-eighths around the cones in a bullet 1:00.40 over the turf training course last Friday.

Utterly Cool went to the sidelines for a year and a half after taking the 2008 Cup and Saucer Stakes by 10 lengths in the fall of his 2-year-old season.

When he returned to action in a March 13 optional claimer at the Fair Grounds, Utterly Cool was a front-running third behind current rival Successful Mission. He has improved with each subsequent outing since returning to Woodbine in the spring, and was a relatively easy winner of the seven-furlong Ontario Jockey Club Stakes July 11.

Patrick Husbands retains the mount on Utterly Cool, who is owned by the Jim Dandy Stable.

Successful Mission won his third race in a row in a one-mile allowance at Keeneland April 3, but was a tired seventh in his lone start at this stand in the Connaught. Trainer Bill Mott is taking the blinkers off and has enlisted Luis Contreras to ride the 4-year-old.

Bogue Chitto is returning from an eight-month layoff. He won 5 of 9 starts and over $300,000 last year, the highlight of which was victory by disqualification in the King Corrie Stakes. He was second in the Grade 2 Nearctic Stakes on the grass in October.

Rounding out the field are longshots Cherokee Heaven and Porter’s Gate.