Touch'n Ride looks to avoid traffic in marathon Breeders' Stakes
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Neepawa wired a modest field of nine in the 2018 Breeders’ Stakes at Woodbine. His promising half-brother Touch’n Ride will have a taller order in the 133rd running of the anchor leg of the Canadian Triple Crown on Sunday against 13 other 3-year-olds in the 1 1/2-mile turf event.
Owned by Chiefswood Stables, Touch’n Ride was an impressive 5 1/4-length maiden winner with a 91 Beyer Speed Figure second time out on the Tapeta on July 30. Sent off at 6-1 in the Aug. 20 King’s Plate, the son of Candy Ride was impeded on the backstretch during a wide trip over a rail-biased track en route to finishing a respectable fifth.
“I think the horse ran tremendously in the Plate,” trainer Layne Giliforte said. “To still show the ability that he did to be fifth, after racing in tight and getting checked a little and getting bumped down the backside, I was thrilled with the horse.”
Touch’n Ride ran third when debuting in a one-mile maiden special on the main turf July 1. He bypassed the second Triple Crown leg on the dirt at Fort Erie, the Prince of Wales Stakes, and has worked three times over the turf training course leading up to the $400,000 Breeders’, to which he was supplemented.
“The Breeders’ has always been the race that we were looking at because of his pedigree and stamina, and the way he’s been on grass,” Giliforte noted.
Kazushi Kimura inherits the mount on Touch’n Ride from the injured Jose Campos.
Trainer Mark Casse sends out Paramount Prince and the supplement Elysian Field, who both rode the rail when they ran one-two in the 1 1/4-mile King’s Plate.
Over a sloppy track in the 1 3/16-mile Prince of Wales, Plate winner Paramount Prince set a fast pace before fading to third. The son of 16 percent turf route sire Society’s Chairman is making his first grass start.
“His breeding says he should like the grass, but we’re going to find out,” Casse said. “We just went easy with him after the Prince of Wales. It’s coming back pretty quickly, so we didn’t feel the need to do too much with him.”
Woodbine Oaks winner Elysian Field finished second and fifth against maidens on the grass in her first two starts.
“She’s big and strong and looks like a colt,” Casse said. “She’s a little fresher than most, including Paramount Prince. It’s all about how she handles the grass, and she’s trained well coming into the race.”
Kaukokaipuu came into the King’s Plate in solid form before showing little during a wide trip in the prestigious event. He rebounded in the Prince of Wales, catching Paramount Prince in deep stretch to secure second.
“It was very uncharacteristic of him not to show any speed and only run five-eighths,” trainer Ted Holder said regarding the Plate. “He showed up [in the Wales]. That’s the horse I thought we had. I was down there for the seven days when he was at Fort Erie, and I didn’t leave his side. I prepped him as I would for any other race.”
Kaukokaipuu placed three times against maidens sprinting on the main turf here last year. Holder is confident that the son of Mr Speaker will stay the grueling Breeders’ trip.
“His pedigree says that it is not a problem,” Holder explained. “Mr Speaker was a mile-and-a-quarter to mile-and-a-half horse on all surfaces.”
Rocco Bowen replaces the injured Rico Walcott on Kaukokaipuu. It will be the first Woodbine mount for the journeyman.
Trainer Kevin Attard entered the quartet of Philip My Dear, Wickenheiser, Tiburon, and supplement Enjoythesilent, who is listed first among the four also-eligibles.
Reigning Canadian champion male 2-year-old Philip My Dear did the bulk of his damage on the grass in 2022 and has struggled this year on the Tapeta, including a ninth-place finish in the King’s Plate.
“We’re very excited to see Philip My Dear get back on the grass,” Attard said. “He’s coming into the race in great shape and hopefully he’s ready to show what we know he’s capable of.”
Wickenheiser is taking on the boys off a wide-closing second in the 1 1/4-mile Wonder Where Stakes. She was previously a dull 11th in the King’s Plate after filling out the exacta in the Oaks.
“I thought Wickenheiser came back with a nice effort last time out,” Attard said. “She broke her maiden on the grass. In seven of her eight races, she’s been within four lengths of the winner, so we’re expecting another competitive effort from her on Sunday.”
Wonder Where winner Tito’s Calling was supplemented by trainer Mike DePaulo. He also entered Legal Catch, who sits second on the also-eligible list.
Ontario Damsel
Solo Album, Love to Shop, and Witch Hazel are among a five-horse field of 3-year-old fillies in Sunday’s $125,000 Ontario Damsel, a 1 1/16-mile Tapeta route.
Solo Album got a 92 Beyer Speed Figure taking the Grade 3 Selene after a four-wide trip here July 1. She was never in contention over soft ground when trainer Mark Casse ran her in the Grade 3 Saratoga Oaks Invitational last out Aug. 4.
Love to Shop, trained by Kevin Attard, beat males when she won her first stakes on the grass in the Toronto Cup on Sept. 3.
Trained by Katerina Vassilieva, Witch Hazel made her first start around two turns a winning one with an 86 Beyer in a Sept. 2 allowance/optional claimer.
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