Frezacon could be long gone in Cup

FORT ERIE, Ontario - Trainer Daryl Ezra, who captured Fort Erie's first Cup race last week with the filly Speedstorm, will be back for more in Sunday's second Cup race, the Holiday Inn/Fort Erie Cup.

Nine Cup races are scheduled this year. Each Cup race has a purse of $25,000 and will be restricted to runners that have a specified number of previous starts at the meet.

The 1 1/16-mile Holiday Inn Cup is open to males who have started at least twice this meet. Last week's Cup race was for fillies and mares.

Ezra will saddle Smiling Jordan on Sunday. He owns Smiling Jordan with Stephen Chesney.

Smiling Jordan, a winner twice in five attempts this year, won his last start here June 26, for a claiming tag of $14,000. Smiling Jordan was assigned a Beyer Speed Figure of 82 for his off-the-pace, 1 1/2-length score.

The next highest Beyer in Sunday's field of five belongs to the Mycke Neubauer-trained Frezacon, an 80.

The speed of the field is Frezacon, who has won both his starts this year while peeling off wicked fractions. Frezacon's first win came by eight lengths and the second by 1 1/2 lengths.

In his season debut, in a $10,000 claimer on June 3 going a mile and 70 yards, Frezacon registered early fractions of 22.88 seconds, 46.06, and 1:11.09.

A week later Frezacon was back in action in a $10,000 starter allowance at 1 1/16 miles. This time the corresponding fractions were 23.77, 46.05, and 1:10.91.

The third-place finisher in the June 10 contest, almost four lengths back , was Smiling Jordan.

Carl Norris, stable manager and husband to trainer Neubauer, said that there will be no attempt to harness the speed of Frezacon.

"[Frezacon] runs the same way in his workouts," said Norris. "He runs all out from start to finish. If he is held back in any manner he becomes rank and unruly."

The Fort's leading jockey, Rob King Jr., will once again partner Frezacon. He was aboard for both of the 4-year-old's scores this meet.

Amisharporwat, trained by Henry Reid, and Benz Boy from the barn of Rob Gilyana can't be counted out.

Amisharporwat finished second to Frezacon on June 10, while Benz Boy is fresh from a victory on June 18. Amisharporwat was third in that race.

Samuel, Wells on Wales undercard

There were 20 nominations for the Ernie Samuel Memorial Stakes and 11 for the Daryl Wells Sr. Memorial Stakes, which will be run as secondary features to Fort Erie's grandest race of the meet, the $500,000 Prince of Wales here next Sunday.

The Samuel and Wells are five-furlong turf sprints for Canadian-breds. The Samuel is for fillies and mares and the Wells for males.