Distance a question for Ghost Fleet
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Ghost Fleet, Woodbine's most accomplished 2-year-old this year, will put his unbeaten Polytrack record on the line Sunday in the Grade 3, $250,000 Grey Stakes.
The Grey was won last year by Mine That Bird, who went on to be named Canada's 2-year-old chmpion and won the Kentucky Derby this past spring.
Ghost Fleet won his first two starts from just off the pace, including the restricted Vandal Stakes, in which he ran six furlongs in 1:09.64 and earned an 82 Beyer Speed Figure.
He was surprisingly flat when he switched to the turf Aug. 28 for the allowance prep Summer Stakes, finishing six lengths back in sixth.
"I'm pretty sure that he likes the grass," said trainer Sid Attard. "I don't think he was himself that day."
The Grey is run at 1 1/16 miles and will be Ghost Fleet's first two-turn race. Attard said he isn't worried about the added distance for Ghost Fleet, who is a son of Arch.
"I don't think it should be any problem for him," Attard said. "The farther he goes, the better. Believe me."
Ghost Fleet breezed five furlongs in company last Sunday with Officer's Dream, Attard's unbeaten 2-year-old filly. Under jockey Todd Kabel, Ghost Fleet covered the distance in 1:02.60.
"Kabel said he's a very happy horse right now," Attard said.
Bear Tough Guy, trained by Reade Baker, impressively won his lone outing, a one-mile maiden special on the grass Sept. 13. He was blocked behind rivals early in the stretch before closing five wide to prevail by a neck at 12-1.
"We were looking for that kind of race from him, because that's the way he'd been training," said assistant trainer Leroy Trotman. "You couldn't ask for a horse to be training better going toward a race. He came out of it good, and he's going into this one the same way."
William's Kitten, based at Churchill with trainer Mike Maker, won his last outing, which came at Louisiana Downs in the Sunday Silence Stakes. The race was taken off the grass and run on dirt. He won his maiden in his second race, which came on the grass at Ellis Park, and has yet to compete over a synthetic surface.