Slow start no problem for Desert Encounter, as he repeats in the Canadian International

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The English veteran Desert Encounter won the Grade 1 Canadian International for the second year in a row at Woodbine on Saturday under a patient ride from Andrea Atzeni.

Desert Encounter ($5) missed break by about five lengths, and then trailed the six-horse field, as the favored French runner, Ziyad, set dawdling fractions in the 1 1/2-mile turf test.

Atzeni found an opening in the stretch, and Desert Encounter came charging through inside the eighth pole to score by a half-length over 13-1 shot Alounak. Ziyad finished another neck back in third, and was followed by Pivoine, Pumpkin Rumble, and Nessy.

Over a course listed as good, the final time was 2:28.62.

“The plan was always to sit last, and come through them,” Atzeni said. “The plan was to jump slow, and he probably jumped a stride slower than I would have liked. But it’s a mile and a half. It’s a long way. It’s a small field, so we were never panicking. He’s a good horse. He likes it here. He loves the ground. I think he’s actually a better horse than he was last year.”

Philip Robinson, the racing manager for owner Abdulla Al Mansoori, said he wasn’t overly concerned when Desert Encounter began slowly because it enabled Atzeni to get him to relax easily.

“He’s a better horse switching off early,” Robinson explained. “They went nice and steady, and he was able to get back into the race without using any energy. I was very impressed with the jockey. He didn’t lose his nerve. He stayed on the inside, and the gaps opened up.”

A gelded son of Halling, Desert Encounter earned $480,000 of the $800,000 purse.

“It’s quite strange, because even with his age - he’s now 7 years old - he hasn’t stopped improving,” Robinson said. “I think mentally, he’s improved so much. He’s enjoying his racing.

Desert Encounter, who is trained by David Simcock, became the first horse to win the International in consecutive years since Joshua Tree in 2012-13.