Phil's Cocktail tries routing in Kingarvie Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Multiple stakes winner Phil’s Cocktail will experiment around two turns Saturday at Woodbine in the $125,000 Kingarvie Stakes, an Ontario-sired event for 2-year-olds that also lured Goodoldhockeygame.

Phil’s Cocktail rode an inside bias to a lucrative victory Aug. 27 in the $201,200 Simcoe Stakes. Following a flat fourth a month later in the six-furlong Bull Page, he rebounded with a decisive score in another Ontario-sired stakes Nov. 8, the Frost King. Making his first start with Lasix then, he closed four wide from a stalking position to take the seven-furlong Frost King by 2 1/4 lengths under regular rider David Moran.

Trainer John LeBlanc Jr., who doubles as Phil’s Cocktail’s exercise rider, predicted that 1 1/16 miles will be within range for the son of Philanthropist.

“The way he trains and the way he relaxes in a race, I think he won’t have a problem with that,” LeBlanc said. “He likes to pick it up at the three-eighths pole, naturally, so I think the distance will suit his style.”

KEY CONTENDERS

Phil’s Cocktail (Last 3 Beyers: 73-63-59)

◗ The powerful bay gelding missed some training after the Frost King, which forced him to bypass last Saturday’s Coronation Futurity. “We’ve been dealing with a foot issue,” LeBlanc said. “I’m very happy with the foot the last week. Everything looks good.”

◗ In the ninth race, LeBlanc sends out six-time stakes winner Moonlit Beauty, who makes her final career start in the third-level optional-claiming event.

Goodoldhockeygame (Last 3 Beyers: 68-71-69)

◗ After earning his diploma at first asking, the son of Old Forester came from fourth to capture the Bull Page by daylight. In the Frost King, he rallied belatedly for second as the favorite, to the dissatisfaction of trainer Bob Tiller.

“The only running he did was in the last quarter of a mile,” Tiller said. “He just wasn’t interested early. Honestly, I think he needs blinkers, but we’re not going to put them on going long. We have to see if he’ll go that far. He’s certainly not bred to go that far, but he sure acts like he will. At times, he’s a relaxed horse.”

◗ Tiller won last year’s Kingarvie with a sprinter stretching out, Spadina Road, who had been second in the Frost King.

Bear At Last (Last 3 Beyers: 67-57-56)

◗ The son of freshman sire Marchfield was knocking on the door before putting it all together in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight race Nov. 16.