Avie's Flatter back on Tapeta in Coronation Futurity

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Avie’s Flatter will look to complete a sweep of a pair of prestigious Canadian-bred 2-year-old stakes events in Sunday’s $225,000 Coronation Futurity over 1 1/8 miles on Tapeta at Woodbine.

Avie’s Flatter captured the Cup and Saucer Stakes on yielding turf in his most recent start Oct. 7 and could become the first horse to win both that race and the Coronation Futurity since Hollinger in 2009. A win also would make Avie’s Flatter a leading early contender for next summer’s Queen’s Plate.

Avie’s Flatter was forwardly placed under Eurico Da Silva in the Cup and Saucer and pulled away in the stretch to win by 5 1/4 lengths.

“I was very surprised to see him go to the lead,” trainer Josie Carroll said following the Cup and Saucer. “Then he got up there, and he was so relaxed. His ears were pricked. I thought, ‘Obviously, Eurico knows what he’s got under him, and hopefully there’s enough to go on with.’ He seemed to handle the soft turf. He had a tough trip the race before, and he got a lot out of that, a lot of conditioning out of that, which made me a little more confident.”

Avie’s Flatter will race on the synthetic for the first time since his 2 1/2-length victory in a five-furlong sprint in his career debut Aug. 12. Following that start, he ran fourth in the Grade 1 Summer Stakes on turf Sept. 16.

Key Contenders

Avie’s Flatter, by Flatter
Last 3 Beyers: 78-69-70

◗ Da Silva has had a strong partnership with Carroll in limited starts this year. The jockey-trainer combination has won six of their 14 starts together this year, an angle with a $2.43 return on investment, according to DRF Formulator. However, they are winless in their last four starts together, including three third-place finishes.

Tripwire, by Flashback
Last 2 Beyers: 69-62

◗ He’s a maiden but nearly won the Grade 3 Grey Stakes in his most recent start Oct. 21, finishing a half-length behind Solidify.

◗ John Velazquez, a top rider in New York, is listed to ride.

Federal Law, by Scat Daddy
Last 2 Beyers: 72-44

◗ After making his first four starts in England, he shipped to Woodbine to run 11th in the Summer Stakes. He subsequently was transferred to trainer Mark Casse and won an allowance over 1 1/16 miles on Tapeta on Nov. 4 with a 72 Beyer Speed Figure.

Moon Swings, by Malibu Moon
Last 3 Beyers: 64-65-62

◗ This maiden has placed in two stakes, including a third-place finish in the Cup and Saucer. He finished six lengths behind Avie’s Flatter that day and three-quarters of a length behind Bold Script, who came back to win the Princess Elizabeth Stakes by 7 1/2 lengths on Nov. 4 and earned an 83 Beyer.

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