Erupt among 34 nominees to Canadian International

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Thirty-four horses are nominated to the 80th running of the Canadian International on Oct. 15. The Grade 1 event received a purse reduction the year, going from $1 million to $800,000.

Last year’s winner, Erupt, is expected to return to Woodbine for the 12-furlong turf race. The 5-year-old formerly French runner has changed trainers since finishing fifth in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer on Aug. 26, going from Francis-Henri Graffard to Graham Motion.

“He came to me right after the Sword Dancer at Saratoga,” Motion said. “He’s had a couple of works at Fair Hill since he’s been with me, and everything’s gone relatively smoothly. It seems logical to me to come back to Canada with him since he ran so well up there last year.”

Motion nominated four others, including Grade 2 Sky Classic victor Can’thelpbelieving and Messi, who’s coming off a third in the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Turf.

“Can’thelpbelieving has obviously run very well up there, so certainly there’s a possibility for him, and I’ve also been very pleased with how Messi has run up there,” Motion said.

The full brothers Highland Reel and Idaho were nominated by trainer Aidan O’Brien. The world traveler Highland Reel won last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf. Idaho was a disappointing fifth as the favorite in the 2016 Canadian International.

Woodbine-based Johnny Bear, the 9-1 upset winner in the Sept. 16 Northern Dancer Turf, is expected to participate, according to trainer Ashlee Brnjas.

“I sent him home after the race for a couple of days to my training center in Uxbridge just for some downtime,” Brnjas said. “He’s dead fit, and he ran two bang-up races, so we gave him a little bit of time off, and we’re going to bring him back to the track.”

Hawkbill, who was beaten a head after leading the way as the big favorite in the Northern Dancer Turf, was not nominated.

Thirty fillies and mares are nominated to the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes. Among them is a trio of runners trained by 2016 Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown: Rainha Da Bateria, Elysea’s World, and Fourstar Crook. Motion nominated Guilty Twelve, Quidura, and Saranida.

Also on the International card is the Grade 2 Nearctic, a six-furlong sprint that could mark the turf debut for Canada’s leading sprinter, Pink Lloyd, and the Grade 3 Ontario Derby.