English Holiday looks to repeat in Molson Cup

Tuesday night’s card at Fort Erie features a trio of $30,000 stakes races for horses who have made at least two starts at the track this year: the Molson Cup over 1 1/16 miles on turf and the Andy Passero Memorial Cup and Bob Summers Memorial Cup, both over 6 1/2 furlongs on dirt.

Molson Cup, Race 5

English Holiday won last year’s Molson Cup by 3 1/4 lengths and looks to have a big shot to repeat in the race for fillies and mares ages 3 and up.

English Holiday tracked a slow pace but still faded to fourth while facing males in her most recent start Aug. 7. Two starts before that, she got away with slow fractions to win a starter allowance over a mile on grass July 10. She sports a record of three wins from seven starts over 1 1/16 miles on turf in her career.

Queenstown edged English Holiday for third in that Aug. 7 race, rallying from well back. Prior to that, she was second behind English Holiday in the July 10 starter allowance, beaten 1 1/2 lengths.

Other contenders include Starship Gambler and Primordia.

Andy Passero Memorial Cup, Race 6

Call Her Karma has won back-to-back races against $10,000 claimers and should come with a strong late rally in the Andy Passero Memorial Cup, for fillies and mares ages 3 and up.

Call Her Karma earned an 80 Beyer Speed Figure for her 7 1/2-length victory on dirt at Fort Erie on Aug. 9 and will make her first start off the claim for the meet’s co-leading trainer, Anthony Adamo. Adamo has a 40 percent strike rate with runners claimed from their most recent start over the past five years.

Sandys Hurricane could go all the way on the front end, while Two Brews to Go will be looking to win this race for the second year in a row.

Bob Summers Memorial Cup, Race 8

Devoted Wildcat ran second in the Bob Summers Memorial Cup last season and will look to improve on that performance in this sprint for 3-year-olds and up.

Devoted Wildcat got up in time to win a starter allowance in his most recent start July 24 and could be due for a big effort in his third start of the year. He was a three-time winner sprinting on dirt at Fort Erie last season, with three runner-up finishes in eight starts in 2015.

Masquerade Party figures to be the pacesetter, while Gentleman Jackson and Tom Joy are other contenders to consider. Creative Thunder won the only dirt start of his career around two turns back in June 2015 and should be involved in the late going.

Philm Noir enters with the race’s highest last-out Beyer, an 83 earned for a 14-length romp in a $10,000 claimer for non-winners of three races going 1 1/16 miles on Aug. 2.