Woodbine: Forte Dei Marmi draws post 8 as Canadian International favorite

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Forte Dei Marmi, riding the wave of a three-race winning streak here at Woodbine, has been made the 3-1 morning-line choice for Sunday’s Grade 1 Canadian International.

The $1 million Canadian International, at 1 1/2 miles on the turf for 3-year-olds and up, attracted a field of 11, including five American and three European shippers.

Forte Dei Marmi, coming off a game victory in the Grade 1 Northern Dancer here over the Canadian International course and distance, drew post 8 and will have regular rider Eurico Rosa Da Silva in the irons.

Forte Dei Marmi’s trainer Roger Attfield also will send out the 4-year-old Perfect Timber, who was beaten just a neck by his 7-year-old stablemate in the Northern Dancer.

Perfect Timber is 12-1 in Woodbine oddsmaker Ernie Perri’s morning line and will begin from post 4 with John Velazquez reprising his Northern Dancer role.

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“Post position really doesn’t make a whole lot of difference going a mile and a half,” Attfield said following the draw. “But, I wouldn’t really want to be right on the outside.”

Slumber, at 4-1, is the second choice and drew the outside post with Mike Smith named to ride.

Trained by Bill Mott, the 5-year-old Slumber finished a close fourth last time out behind the Breeders’ Cup Turf-bound Little Mike, Big Blue Kitten, and Real Solution in the 1 1/2-mile Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational at Belmont.

Hyper, based in New York with trainer Chad Brown, is next on the line at 5-1 and will begin from the rail. Joel Rosario will ride the 6-year-old Hyper, who is coming off turf stakes wins in Saratoga’s 1 5/8-mile John’s Call and the Grade 2, 1 1/4-mile Bowling Green at Belmont.

Joshua Tree, the fourth choice at 6-1, will be making his fourth consecutive Canadian International appearance and is seeking a third win to go with his runner-up finish in 2011. Trained this year by Ed Dunlop, the 6-year-old Joshua Tree will start from post 5 with jockey Ryan Moore in the saddle.

Seismos, a 5-year-old gelding who is based in Germany with trainer Andreas Woehler, comes in with a Group 1 win and a Group 1 second-place finish behind Novellist. Andrea Atzeni will ride Seismos, who is cutting back in distance after finishing sixth in the Group 1 Prix de Cadran over 2 1/2 miles of soft going at Longchamp on Oct. 6 and has been pegged at 10-1.

Rounding out the field are France’s Now We Can; Lucayan, Stormy Len, and Temeraine from the United States; and the locally based filly Irish Mission, who is cross-entered in the E.P. Taylor, also on Sunday.

Tannery, trained by Alan Goldberg, is the 2-1 morning-line choice of 10 entrants in the E.P. Taylor Stakes.