Finalist among possible future stars in Display Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Nobody could have predicted that last year’s Display Stakes winner, Sir Winston, would go on to capture an American classic like the Belmont Stakes, but that was the case. Is there another potential star in this year’s edition of the 1 1/16-mile route for 2-year-olds?

Sir Winston’s trainer, Mark Casse, entered Finalist, who graduated second time out in a seven-furlong maiden special at Gulfstream Park on Aug. 10. After a two-month layoff, he came north of the border to finish third in a 7 1/2-furlong allowance here on the inner turf.

Finalist had traffic problems before ending up fifth in the Grade 3 Grey on the Tapeta. He cut back from the 1 1/16 miles of the Grey to seven furlongs most recently, when sixth in allowance company.

Casse said you can draw a line through that dull race.

“I just don’t think he’s a sprinter,” Casse said. “I also think his Grey performance was better than it looks on paper.”

The $100,000 Display attracted four others, including the Sid Attard-trained duo of Elusive Knight and Northern Thunder. It goes as the third on a 12-race program on the final Saturday card of the meet.

KEY CONTENDERS

Finalist, by Tonalist

Last 3 Beyers: 62-70-69

◗ Tonalist won the 2014 Belmont. Finalist is a half-brother to Grand Adventure, a graded stakes-winning sprinter-miler on turf in these parts.

Elusive Knight, by Ghostzapper

Beyers: 71-82

◗ The Stronach Stable runner is by the sire of Queen’s Plate winners Shaman Ghost and Holy Helena, and out of a mare by Street Cry.

◗ He won his six-furlong debut easily, and is coming off a troubled second as the favorite in a seven-furlong allowance.

“He got stuck on the rail last time,” Attard said. “He had nowhere to go and dropped back. He made a nice move at the end, but the winner was gone. I think he’s a really nice horse. He’s got good nerves. I like him a lot.”

Northern Thunder, by Creative Cause

Last 3 Beyers: 66-68-64

◗ He has broken slowly in the majority of his five races, including when he finished sixth in both the Grey and Coronation Futurity. A wide trip over an inside-biased track worked against him in the nine-furlong Coronation, and he came back to work five-eighths in 1:01.40 with Elusive Knight last Saturday.

“They both worked very good together,” Attard said.

Vanzzy, by Verrazano

Beyers: 65-67-67

◗ The Pennsylvania shipper has made all three of his starts on the dirt at Parx. After graduating second time out over a mile, he finished a distant second Nov. 5 in the seven-furlong Parx Juvenile. His lack of synthetic track experience is a negative, and his trainer, Michael Pino, is adding blinkers to his equipment.