Back in the win column, Avie's Flatter looks to double up in Connaught Cup
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Avie’s Flatter, the Canadian champion 2-year-old of 2018, ended a slump when he blew away conditioned allowance opposition in his season opener on the Tapeta. He has ample speed to chase in Sunday’s Grade 2, $175,000 Connaught Cup at Woodbine and should be dangerous in the seven-furlong turf sprint, which attracted a good field of nine.
Avie’s Flatter was a gutsy winner of the Grade 3 Transylvania in his 2019 opener on the grass at Keeneland, but he lost his next eight starts while displaying hanging tendencies. The seven-furlong distance of his comeback proved to be ideal, and he won off by 5 1/2 lengths with a career-high 96 Beyer Speed Figure.
Luis Contreras will ride the Josie Carroll-trained Avie’s Flatter again for owner Ivan Dalos.
“We always knew he was a good horse,” Dalos said. “Last year wasn’t a good year for him. He had all kinds of problems, but it looks like he’s back to his old self.”
Silent Poet, Woodbine’s top turf sprinter in recent years under the guidance of trainer Nick Gonzalez, won last year’s Connaught Cup using his familiar front-running style. He went on to take the Grade 2 Nearctic in October.
Silent Poet faded to fifth after leading the way in his season debut in an open allowance won by the unbeaten Brazilian import Filo Di Arianna. Gray’s Fable, who missed the break before closing for second in that seven-furlong sprint, also is in the Connaught Cup lineup. He went gate-to-wire in the Grade 3 Appleton at Gulfstream in March for trainer Roger Attfield.
Trainer Mark Casse entered the foursome of Chuck Willis, Olympic Runner, Proven Strategies, and Tap It to Win.
Chuck Willis is putting a four-race win streak on the line, which began here last summer with back-to-back scores, including a four-length tally in a first-level allowance. The 5-year-old returned from a 9 1/2-month layoff at Gulfstream in April to beat second-level allowance opposition, and then successfully stretched his speed out to a mile there most recently in a handicap.
Win-shy Olympic Runner tailed off after capturing a second-level allowance on the grass at Gulfstream in January, but the closer has been burning up the Tapeta in the mornings since shipping back to Woodbine in the spring.
Proven Strategies is a need-the-lead type who didn’t show much in three stakes starts south of the border this year. He took the one-mile Toronto Cup Stakes for 3-year-olds over the main turf here in October.
Tap It to Win hasn’t raced on the grass since finishing second in his 2-year-old debut here two years ago. After beating Florida-breds in a March 28 stakes at Tampa, the dirt specialist was up the track in each of his two most recent starts in stakes at Churchill.