Five Iron 'on top of his game' heading into Nijinsky Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – After opting to save the emerging Grand Arch for Saratoga, trainer Brian Lynch has gone to his deep bench for Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Nijinsky Stakes and will run Five Iron and Dorsett in the nine-furlong turf event at Woodbine.

Five Iron won the Grade 3 Fort Marcy over nine furlongs in his penultimate outing, at Belmont. Most recently there in the 10-furlong, Grade 1 Manhattan, he opened up a substantial lead before weakening late to end up fifth.

“I really think Five Iron is on top of his game right now,” Lynch said. “Shortening up to a mile and an eighth, he’s going to be a hard horse to handle. I thought in his last race, [Luis Saez] might have opened up too much. When they hooked him at the bottom of the lane, I thought he had every right to pack it in, but instead, he only got beat three lengths in a good field of Grade 1 horses.”[bc_video_id:330550:]

Dorsett, a listed stakes winner, is making his first start for Lynch following an eight-month layoff.

“I’m excited about him,” Lynch said. “He’s trained fantastic leading up to this. Unfortunately, he’s eligible for a three-other-than, and none of those races have been going. I have no other options unless I send him to Saratoga. I think he’s the sort of horse who can run good fresh. To me, he’s got plenty of talent. He had good form last year, and this will be his first start as a 4-year-old. I think he’ll be doing his best running towards the end.”

Trainer Malcolm Pierce sends out the reigning Canadian Horse of the Year, Up With the Birds, who has been idle since finishing sixth May 17 in the Grade 2 Dixie at Pimlico.

“He’s had a couple of good works coming into the race,” Pierce said. “I think he’s in as good an order as we can get him in. I’m not making excuses for him, but the turf was a bit soft [in the Dixie], and I think we’re going to get much firmer turf on Saturday. There should be plenty of pace in the race.”

The other Nijinsky competitors are the out-of-form New Yorker Za Approval, who wound up second to Wise Dan in last year’s Grade 1 Woodbine Mile, River Seven, Really Sharp, and Dynamic Sky.

Lynch eyes Fourstardave

Lynch said he’s eyeing the Grade 2 Fourstardave on Aug. 9 for Grand Arch, who upset Excaper in winning the Grade 2 King Edward going a mile here June 22.

“I want to try and separate these horses,” Lynch said. “Grand Arch’s best distance could be a mile. He’s a lot more relaxed this year. You can rate him a lot better. You’re always hoping to come up with a horse for the Woodbine Mile. He might develop into something like that.”

Grand Arch breezed five-eighths in 1:02.80 around the cones over the turf training course here Wednesday.

Regal Conqueror tries turf

Regal Conqueror will compete on turf for the first time Saturday in the $150,000 Ontario Damsel, a one-mile stakes for Ontario-bred 3-year-old fillies. Owner Bill Sorokolit and the horse’s trainer, Darwin Banach, combined to take the Passing Mood Stakes last Saturday with their other speedy sophomore filly, Executive Allure.

Regal Conqueror is a homebred from the first crop of Canadian turf champion Sky Conqueror. Her dam, Classic Stamp, captured the Grade 2 Canadian twice on grass. Regal Conqueror has struggled this year on Polytrack, over which she won the Victorian Queen Stakes in September. She returns from a freshening Saturday.

“She’s doing very well,” Banach said. “She’s been a little hard to figure out, but I think she’s just decided that she wants to run on turf, and that’s it. We got lucky with her as a 2-year-old on the Polytrack, but I think her breeding is getting the better of her now.”

The other stakes winners in the Damsel lineup are Llanarmon, On Rainbow Bridge, Skylander Girl, and Lapsang.

** Queen’s Plate runner-up Ami’s Holiday heads the 11 nominees for the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, at Fort Erie on July 29. Also nominated are Ascot Martin, Bangkok, Coltimus Prime, East Side, Lions Bay, Lynx, Matador, Money Talks, Rhythm Blues, and Smart Spree. Queen’s Plate winner Lexie Lou will skip the 1 3/16-mile dirt route.

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the grade of the Fourstardave Stakes at Saratoga. It is a Grade 2, not a Grade 1.