Streakin Rob bids for title in Display

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Late-blooming Streakin Rob put it all together three weeks ago when he captured the $250,000 Coronation Futurity, the country's richest race for Canadian-bred juveniles.

Streakin Rob will make a late-season bid for the Sovereign Award as champion 2-year-old when he tries open company in Saturday's $112,500 Display Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile race at Woodbine.

After Streakin Rob ran second in his Aug. 18 debut, trainer Jim Day tried him in the restricted Simcoe Stakes. He finished fifth in the seven-furlong Simcoe, but subsequently won his maiden on the front end in his first route race Sept. 22.

Streakin Rob flattened out after stalking the pace, and ended up fifth in the Grade 1 Grey Breeders' Cup Stakes Oct. 8. Last time out, in the nine-furlong Coronation, he benefited from an outside bias and a fast pace to rally for a neck victory.

Day said several minor problems hounded Streakin Rob before the Coronation.

"He was quite congested after the Simcoe," Day said. "He had an ongoing minor virus. Plus, he had a slightly sensitive left shin, which would bother him for a day or two after he ran. He also had some skin disease."

Streakin Rob failed to rate kindly in the early stages of the Grey, but Day said Streakin Rob relaxed better when blinkers came off for the Coronation and Gary Boulanger rode him.

"I think the blinkers were a pretty big negative in his life," Day said. "They probably should have come off for his maiden race. He won that race with them on, and then we were stuck with them. We took the blinkers off for the Coronation, which enabled him to get into a more relaxed mode. He's been a nice match with Boulanger, because [Boulanger] understands what we're trying to do with him."

Day said he's looking at Streakin Rob as a potential Queen's Plate competitor next year.

Completing the Display lineup are Pat's Expectation, Tails of the Crypt, Jonquiere, Warplane, Forgone, Mapp Hill, Rum Splasher, Nicholle's Devil, and Funny Soldier.

Forgone, a maiden by top sire Gone West, finished just a neck behind Streakin Rob in the Coronation after making the lead inside the eighth pole. He has been second in all three of his races. Forgone is trained by Mac Benson, who trained his stakes-winning dam, Adorned.

Benson said shin splints prevented him from running Forgone until early October.

"I've had to play catch-up with him all year," Benson said. "I think he has a real future."

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