Cooler Mike has earned respect of bettors for Sir Barton Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Cooler Mike should be favored in a stakes for the first time in his career in Saturday’s $100,000 Sir Barton, a 1 1/16-mile route for Ontario-sired runners at Woodbine.

Cooler Mike, the third-place finisher in last year’s Queen’s Plate, has put together a productive season for trainer Nick Nosowenko and his father, Mike. He notched his first stakes win Aug. 28 in the Halton, a turf race for graduates of local yearling sales, and won another turf stakes Oct. 20, the Bunty Lawless for Ontario-sired types.

Cooler Mike tested Grade 2 stakes company on the Tapeta most recently in the Autumn, finishing a respectable third behind the two favorites, Special Forces and Mr Ritz.

“We took a shot there,” Nick Nosowenko said. “Two weeks off his [previous] race, he ran big.”

Nosowenko said Cooler Mike has trained encouragingly heading into the Sir Barton, including a five-furlong work in 59.80 seconds last Saturday.

“He’s had two real nice breezes,” Nosowenko said.

“He’s a happy horse and ready to go.”

A field of seven was drawn for the Sir Barton, which goes as the eighth on an 11-race card.

KEY CONTENDERS

Cooler Mike, by Giant Gizmo

Last 3 Beyers: 91-85-48

◗ One of his better performances was a neck loss to Kingsport in another 1 1/16-mile stakes for Ontario-sired runners, the June 15 Steady Growth, for which he got a career-high 93 Beyer Speed Figure.

◗ Luis Contreras will ride the 126-pound highweight.

Thor’s Rocket, by Old Forester

Last 3 Beyers: 84-88-93

◗ The consistent 6-year-old has finished second or third in six consecutive stakes since taking the Overskate Stakes in October 2018. Two starts ago, he attended a slow pace before weakening to third in the Grade 3 Durham Cup on the Tapeta. He took the long way home from the back of the pack to finish third most recently in the Bunty Lawless on turf.

Dun Drum, by Bold n’ Flashy

Last 3 Beyers: 79-79-85

◗ The lone 3-year-old in the lineup, he has won two restricted stakes. He defeated Ontario-sired 3-year-olds in the Sept. 7 Vice Regent on the inner turf, and finished just 2 1/2 lengths behind Cooler Mike in eighth when going around one turn on the main turf in the Bunty Lawless.

◗ Trainer Ian Black won the 2012 Sir Barton with Fifty Proof.

Royal Laser, by Giant Gizmo

Last 3 Beyers: 82-76-84

◗ After getting stuck in traffic in deep stretch, he wasn’t beaten far when seventh in the Bunty Lawless.

◗ Trainer Sid Attard sent out his half-brother Kingsport to win the Sir Barton in each of the past two years as well as in 2015.