Summer Stakes, Natalma offer Breeders' Cup berths

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – English invader Mysterious Night will be favored under William Buick in Saturday’s $500,000 Summer Stakes, one of two Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In qualifiers for 2-year-olds on the Woodbine Mile card, along with the Grade 1 Natalma for fillies.

The white-faced Mysterious Night has won two of five starts for Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby, the combination that swept the Summer and Natalma last year. The son of Dark Angel came from a trailing fifth to win his last race in the Group 3 Prix Francois Boutin over about seven furlongs in France.

“He won at Deauville last time,” said assistant trainer Christopher Durham. “He’s a tough horse. He flew in Saturday with Modern Games. Jason Tate, who rides him every day, is happy with him.”

Just six others were entered in the Summer – Phillip My Dear, Chiseler, Appraise, Ninetyfour Expos, Stayhonor Goodside, and the supplement Sammy Stone.

Phillip My Dear is unbeaten in two turf starts, a six-furlong maiden special and the 6 1/2-furlong Soaring Free Stakes, in which he rallied between rivals to get up in the final strides.

“I didn’t think he was going to make it, but he showed a lot of grit and determination,” trainer Kevin Attard said. “He’s a nice colt. We’ve been aiming for [the Summer].”

:: Get Daily Racing Form Past Performances – the exclusive home of Beyer Speed Figures

Trainer Barbara Minshall sends out Chiseler, who notched his debut on the Tapeta before ending up fourth in the Soaring Free.

“We’ve been trying to get him to relax,” Minshall said. “He’s pretty aggressive. We’ve been training him in behind horses and he’s been finishing up well. In fact, he worked with Concealed Carry last time and ran him down. He’s got the staying power. He’ll gallop all day. It’s just a case of getting him to relax a little early. He’s doing really well.”

Appraise ships in from Saratoga for trainer Chad Brown off a fourth-place finish in the 5 1/2-furlong Skidmore Stakes.

Natalma Stakes

Cairo Consort possesses an experience edge on her seven rivals in the $500,000 Natalma. Like the Summer, it will be contested around one turn on the main course.

Trained by Nathan Squires, Cairo Consort ran third when debuting over the Tapeta on May 28 but has stuck to the turf in her last three outings. She graduated on the front end in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special on July 23, and then got a dream run while closing inside to take the 6 1/2-furlong Catch a Glimpse Stakes with a Beyer Speed Figure of 76, the highest in the Natalma field.

“The first two times she ran, she was not really tight enough,” Squires recalled. “Going into her third start, I started to train her a little more forwardly. She won very well on the lead. Going into the Catch a Glimpse, I had a line on her. She came from out of it and powered home.”

Squires said he has no doubts that Cairo Consort, a daughter of Cairo Prince, will run on.

“She’s bred to go a mile-plus, and with her running style, she just keeps going,” Squires explained. “I like my chances.”

Among his three entrants, Kevin Attard sends out Wickenheiser, who won a six-furlong maiden special at first asking on the grass before a wide fifth in the Catch a Glimpse. The daughter of Lemon Drop Kid is a full sister to Breeders’ Stakes victor Belichick.

“I think she needs distance,” Attard said. “She got ready early. I tried to stretch it before we ran her, because nothing from that family has won under a mile.”

Rounding out the Natalma lineup are Collecting Flatter, G Laurie, Last Call, Adora, Courtly Ro, and Star Candy.

Seaway Stakes

Lady Speightspeare heads a salty 10-horse field in the $150,000 Seaway Stakes, a Grade 3 sprint going seven-eighths for fillies and mares.

Lady Speightspeare dead-heated for first in her penultimate race in the Grade 2 Nassau on the turf, and then doubled up in the Grade 3 Trillium on Tapeta.

:: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets.

“She was supposed to run at Kentucky Downs [last Saturday], but the forecast looked really bad,” trainer Roger Attfield said. “I didn’t want to go all the way down there and then scratch. It didn’t rain much down there, but it looked pretty chewed up. It almost seems like she prefers [the Tapeta].”

Hazelbrook is riding the wave of a three-race win streak under Jason Hoyte, including back-to-back stakes scores in the Grade 3 Hendrie and Sweet Briar Too. Trainer Lorne Richards said the 4-year-old has endured several bouts of colic.

“She’s had some issues with her stomach and has been to the clinic a few times,” Richards said. “Jason has worked for me for parts of the last 10 years. She’s kind of a tough filly, so he ended up riding her and he’s done a great job on her.”

The wonderfully versatile Dreaming of Drew is turning back off a pace-pressing second in the 1 1/16-mile Trillium.

“I think the distance is pretty good for her,” trainer Barb Minshall said. “She couldn’t be training any better. She’s going to run her race.”

Souper Sensational finished a close second in each of her last two starts on turf, the Grade 3 Caress at Saratoga and here in the Grade 2 Royal North.