A Fleets Dancer in repeat bid

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - A Fleets Dancer will be looking to cap a stellar campaign as the heavy favorite in Sunday's 1 3/4-mile Valedictory Handicap, the closing-day feature of the Woodbine meet.

Coronation Futurity winner Streakin Rob heads the other stakes on the 12-race card, the $130,625 Kingarvie, for Ontario-sired 2-year-olds. Pick six wagering will be offered on races 5-10.

A Fleets Dancer, a 6-year-old son of 1987 Canadian Horse of the Year Afleet, captured the 2000 Valedictory by 7 1/2 lengths over a sloppy track under Robert Landry, who has grown accustomed to the horse's quirks.

"He won it wire to wire last year," Landry pointed out. "He loved the slop, and literally ran off with me. The rail had the best footing, and that's where I was. His best races are when he can close, but you're not going to have a lot of pace going 1 3/4 miles, so he's going to be up closer early."

A Fleets Dancer has won three of nine starts this year for owner Cam Allard and trainer Roger Attfield, and is among the leading candidates for the Sovereign Award as champion older horse. He won two local stakes, the Dominion Day and Durham Cup handicaps, and placed in several graded fixtures south of the border, including the Saratoga Breeders' Cup Handicap.

Most recently in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Belmont, A Fleets Dancer was never in the hunt and ended up 11 1/4 lengths back in 11th.

"He got bumped leaving the gate in the Breeders' Cup," said Landry. "He made a little run, but never made the kind of run that I expected from him. He didn't run all that poorly, though." The Classic favorite, Aptitude, "was only a length ahead of him," Landry noted.

Completing the field for the $110,400 marathon will be Winning Skier, Ruff Tuff Stuff, Queensgate, Le Beaucet, Sir Frederick, Forest Princess, and Certainly Classic.

Winning Skier and Certainly Classic filled the top two positions in the 1 1/2-mile allowance prep for the Valedictory.

Winning Skier won the prep by a neck, and is riding the wave of a three-race winning streak for trainer John Fink.

Queensgate, second in the 2000 Valedictory, is coming off a decisive score in a 1 1/4-mile optional claimer.

New York shipper Le Beaucet finished well back in his lone fall outing in allowance company at Belmont. Richard Schosberg trains.