Calgary Cat, Stacked Deck meet again in Kennedy Road
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Calgary Cat has won three of his five stakes starts this year but will be in search of his first graded stakes win of the season in Sunday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Kennedy Road Stakes over six furlongs on Polytrack at Woodbine.
The race could decide whether Calgary Cat is named Canada’s champion male sprinter for the second straight year. His closest competitor for the divisional title is Stacked Deck, who narrowly defeated Calgary Cat in the Grade 3 Bold Venture Stakes at Woodbine on Sept. 13 and returns Sunday.
Calgary Cat has been idle since the Bold Venture, where he rallied from last in the four-horse field to be second, a neck behind Stacked Deck.
“With a four-horse field, I think it can compromise you with an off-the-pace sprinter,” trainer Kevin Attard said. “My horse was kind of bumped at the wire and switched off to his left lead and then back to his right lead. At the end of the day, he was outgamed.”
Attard said Calgary Cat is fresh for the Kennedy Road.
“We had sent him home for a couple of weeks to freshen him up a little bit, give him a little break, and give him a chance to be a horse,” he said. “He’s doing well.”
KEY CONTENDERS
Calgary Cat (Last 3 Beyers: 96-96-98)
◗ Two of his three wins this season have come after a freshening, and he should be able to find a good position early despite the wide post.
Stacked Deck (Last 3 Beyers: 59-89-97)
◗ He’s made two starts at Keeneland since the Bold Venture, most recently finishing 10th in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on Oct. 31. Trainer Barbara Minshall said Stacked Deck’s poor break from post 13 and the race’s short distance were key factors in the result.
“He had a wide post, and then he broke poorly, and 5 1/2 furlongs really isn’t his thing,” she said. “[Owner and breeder Bruce Lunsford] is from Kentucky and wanted to take a shot, but I was really concerned about the distance.”
Bye Bye Bernie (Last 3 Beyers: 97-95-84)
◗ He sprung the upset on the Woodbine turf in the Grade 2 Nearctic Stakes in his most recent start Oct. 18 and will be coming from off the pace.
◗ Jockey Rafael Hernandez has been effective with his limited number of mounts during the meet, recording seven wins in 16 starts, including three stakes victories.
Summation Time (Last 3 Beyers: 97-95-91)
◗ He finished a close second in the Nearctic Stakes but has made just one start on Polytrack.