Two fast Americans top Colin

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The last two winners of the $125,000 Colin Stakes, Edenwold and Wholelottabourbon, were both eventually voted the Sovereign Award for champion 2-year-old.

This year's Colin, to be run Saturday at Woodbine, might not contain any future Canadian champions, but the eight-horse field has a pair of rapid American shippers, Datrick and Gonetoground.

Datrick is only a nose away from being unbeaten in four starts, all for trainer Steve Asmussen. He romped in his debut at Keeneland, then captured the Grade 3 Kentucky Breeders' Cup Stakes at Churchill.

Datrick made his two most recent starts at Lone Star, where he won an allowance and ran second in the five-furlong TTA Sales Futurity.

Asmussen is serving a suspension, and Datrick is being trained by his longtime assistant Scott Blasi.

Blasi said Datrick probably deserved to win the TTA.

"He was unlucky not to win," Blasi said. "He got caught up in a pace duel, and took the worse of it as far as his trip went. He got outnodded at the wire but ran a great race. He's a hard-trying horse who gives it his all every time."

The TTA result was validated when the winner, Be a Resident, came back to take the Texas Stallion Stakes with an 83 Beyer Figure.

"The 2-year-olds at Lone Star have been very competitive this year," Blasi said. "It's been tougher than we've ever seen it."

Blasi said he believes Datrick will handle Woodbine's tight-turned inner dirt track.

"You never know until you run them, but I don't think that will be a problem for him," Blasi said. "He's done everything that we've thrown at him. He won at Keeneland first time out. He won a stakes at Churchill over Derby Week very impressively. He shipped down to Lone Star, had two races there, and came up a nose short of being perfect."

Gonetoground, based at Laurel with trainer Tim Salzman, has made all three of his starts at Delaware. He won his maiden second time out, and is coming off a front-running allowance victory.

The five-furlong Colin has also attracted Pete's Wonder, Magical Fortune, and Diamond Max.

Pete's Wonder graduated at first asking in a two-furlong dash before ending up second in the Victoria Stakes behind Datrick's stablemate Chace City.

Magical Fortune won his 4 1/2-furlong debut with authority, and is adding Lasix for the Colin.

Diamond Max graduated second time out in a five-furlong maiden special, running four wide over a rail-biased track.