Wetter is better for Tax Deferred

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The finale on Friday's 10-race card at Woodbine could be a foregone conclusion if the track comes up sloppy.

The speedy Tax Deferred absolutely adores a wet track and will be hard to catch in the first-level allowance if it rains.

The 1 1/8-mile distance of the race is seemingly beyond his optimum capabilities, however, and he may be hard-pressed to stay the trip on a fast track.

Tino Attard trains Tax Deferred, who has won 6 of 12 starts this year in a campaign that began with an authoritative score Jan. 7 at Gulfstream.

Sophia's Prince looks to be an up-and-comer in the 10-horse field. Trained by John LeBlanc Jr., he graduated second time out with the aid of an inside bias Sept. 13, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 94 in the process.

Sophia's Prince had a five-wide trip when she ran sixth, 2 3/4 lengths behind the winner, in a subsequent allowance, and is coming off a third-place finish in the restricted Deputy Minister Stakes, in which he pressed a quick pace on a speed-favoring track.

Sophia's Prince will be making his first start around two turns Friday, and he is somewhat suspect at the distance. His sire, Schossberg, was a graded stakes winner going long, but he is the third foal of a mare whose first two offspring were both sprinters.

Completing the 10th-race field are Cool Season, Slim Dusty, Selective Wisdom, Toscano, Hit the Throttle, Hunting the Gold, and the Stronach Stable entry of Wire Whip and High Wire Glory.

High Wire Glory finished third behind runner-up Tax Deferred in a 1 1/16-mile race at this level Oct. 12. High Wire Glory rarely runs a bad one on the main track, and should be an effective stalking presence.

Wire Whip graduated first time out with a sustained rally traveling seven furlongs, and then ran second in a seven-furlong allowance. He has the pedigree of a sprinter, but his style suggests the added distance may not be a problem.

Cool Season should be a factor at a square price. He was only beaten two lengths when he ran third in his next-to-last start at this level, and was fifth behind Tax Deferred and High Wire Glory after running on a dull rail most recently.

Slim Dusty had a troubled trip in a recent allowance sprint, in which he finished about four lengths in arrears in sixth. He attended a rapid pace before tiring in a Sept. 29 engagement around two turns, and could have longshot implications if he rates kindly in the early stages.

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