Stuck in Traffic gets distance test

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Stuck in Traffic ran them off their feet when he won the Nov. 14 Frost King Stakes. He will try to stretch his brilliant speed out to 1 1/16 miles Saturday at Woodbine in the $125,000 Kingarvie Stakes for Ontario-sired 2-year-olds.

Stuck in Traffic has two stakes victories this year in seven starts, and has banked $250,900 under the guidance of trainer Nick Gonzalez. He competed in Ontario sire stakes in his two most recent races, finishing second in the six-furlong Bull Page and then winning the seven-furlong Frost King with an 85 Beyer Speed Figure.

"We gave him that time off between the Bull Page and the Frost King, and he did a lot better," Gonzalez said. "The last time David Clark worked him, it was the best he'd gone all year."

Gonzalez said the Kingarvie is a pivotal race for Stuck in Traffic.

"If we're ever going to get a true read on him going two turns, now is the time," Gonzalez said. "I want to find out, because if he can't go long I'm going to leave him in Canada for the winter. If you're only going to get him ready to run in sprints in the spring, he doesn't have to go down south. If he performs well in the Kingarvie, then I'll send him to Florida. If you have to get a horse ready to go a mile and an eighth the first week of June, you can't really do it here."

Gonzalez also entered Delaforce, who also is experimenting around two turns.

"He should be able to go that far," Gonzalez said. "His dam won a couple of races going long on the turf."

Grazettes Landing, a promising maiden from the Mark Casse barn, should be strongly backed. He finished third after a troubled break in his six-furlong debut and then ran a bang-up second in the Frost King.

"From the beginning, I've liked him a lot," Casse said. "I actually thought he had a big shot to win the Frost King. [Stuck in Traffic] got to the lead and kept running. I'm just hoping that he'll get tired and that maybe we can beat him going a mile and a sixteenth."

Casse said he has some reservations about Grazettes Landing's ability around two turns.

"He's got the breeding to go long on the top side, and he's a big, strong horse, but I'm not positive about him going long," Casse admitted.