Gas Me Up noses Piper's Factor in King Edward Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - In a tight three-way photo, Gas Me Up won the Grade 2 King Edward Stakes for the second year in a row on Saturday’s King’s Plate undercard while giving trainer Kevin Attard his fifth winner on the card.

Piper’s Factor set a quick pace on an uncontested lead under John Velazquez in the one-mile inner turf route before some of the others came back to him entering the stretch.

Irish Acres rallied inside and Gas Me Up closed outside to win by a nose over Piper’s Factor, in a time of 1:35.44. Irish Acres finished another nose back in third in the six-horse field.

Fraser Aebly rode Gas Me Up, who was his second stakes winner on the 13-race program.

“I’ve had the chance to ride him previously for Kev, and I love the way he runs,” Aebly said. “He’s a big, strong horse. He gives you everything he’s got every time and he showed up today.”

Gas Me Up wintered at Santa Anita before returning to Attard’s barn here in the spring.

“This is a real cool horse,” Attard said. “He had a great winter in California this year. I’m happy to get him back. He had a little bit of refreshening after that. The owners have really done well by him and he’s obviously rewarded them really well.”

Gas Me Up returned $6.20 as the favorite. The son of Hard Spun earned $144,000 of the $234,400 purse for the partnership of Exline-Border Racing, Michael Jawl, Aaron Kennedy, and Tom Zwiesler.

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