Nations Pride outlasts Royal Champion in Canadian International

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The strongly favored Godolphin runner Nations Pride wore down another English invader, Royal Champion, to land the Grade 1, $753,000 Canadian International under William Buick on Sunday at Woodbine.

Royal Champion went straight to the front under James Doyle and set a lively pace as Nations Pride took up the chase in second in the 1 1/4-mile turf contest. They raced one-two before Nations Pride hit the front around the sixteenth pole. He drew clear late to win by 2 1/4 lengths, in a time of 2:03.65 over the yielding ground.

Adhamo raced in third throughout and Palazzi wound up fourth. English Conqueror, Starting Over, British Royalty and Dynadrive completed the order of finish.

“The track was a bit of a concern, the yielding surface, but he really showed how versatile he is,” Buick said. “He’s a high-class horse. I just had to ask him for that little bit more and he gave it to me and picked up the leader. His best part of the race was the last part.”

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Winning trainer Charlie Appleby ruled out the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita for Nations Pride, a 4-year-old son of Teofilo, who earned $450,000.

“He won’t go to the Breeders’ Cup,” Appleby explained. “We don’t think he’ll stretch out to that mile and a half. We’re taking him to Bahrain for the Bahrain International and then contemplate. William thought that Hong Kong might suit him. Our immediate target will be the Bahrain Trophy.”

Appleby said the Canadian International has been a long-term goal for Nations Pride, who returned $2.80. He sent out Godolphin’s Walton Street to win the historic event the last time it was contested in 2021.

“It’s a race we’re obviously very keen to support,” Appleby said. “We felt the conditions were here to suit him until the rain came. It’s a lovely, long stretch and that’s something we knew he’d enjoy.”

*** The favored New York shipper Big Invasion prevailed in a thrilling blanket finish in Sunday’s Grade 2, $263,000 Nearctic.

Big Invasion ($9.60) scored by a head over Lucky Score, with Dylan Davis riding for trainer Christophe Clement. The son of Declaration of War covered the six furlongs over a yielding main turf in 1:11.31.

“He handled the ground well,” Davis said. “That was the question. I was able to settle him into the two-path on the turn. When I wheeled him back out, he responded great for us and fought tooth and nail to the wire.”

Big Invasion banked $150,000 for Reeves Thoroughbred Racing.

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