Moore, Stoute Look to Double Up in Int’l
Updated: October 17, 2015 at 9:49 pm
Sunday’s GI Pattison Canadian International S., one of two seven-figure events on the local racing calendar, has truly lived up to its name recently, as European shippers have proved too classy for their North American counterparts. In fact, the late Montjeu (Ire) provided four straight winners, including three-time champion Joshua Tree (Ire) (2010, 2012-13) and the filly Sarah Lynx (Ire) (2011). Jockey Ryan Moore was in the irons for the last of Joshua Tree’s triple and made it back-to-back successes when guiding Hillstar (GB) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) to a popular tally for Sir Michael Stoute 12 months ago. That combination will have every chance to return to the winner’s enclosure late Sunday afternoon with Cannock Chase (Lemon Drop Kid).
Winner of the 2014 G3 Tercentenary S. at Royal Ascot, the 310,000gns Tattersalls October graduate was a fair seventh with some trouble behind Free Eagle (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) in this year’s G1 Prince of Wales’s over a 10-furlong trip that has probably proved short of his best and filled the runner-up spot in Windsor’s G3 Winter Hill S. over that same distance Aug. 29, while Saturday’s G1 QIPCO British Champion S. winner Fascinating Rock (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) was back in fifth. Cannock Chase stretched out to 12 panels for the first time and dipped in class for the Listed Godolphin S. at Newmarket Sept. 25 and stayed on powerfully in the waning stages to score by a decisive 3 3/4 lengths (video).
“He won well the other day,” commented Stoute, whose other win in the International came courtesy of Singspiel (Ire) in 1996. “Obviously we dropped him in class, it was a listed race. I’m happy with his condition and he just proved that he got a mile and a half. He’s in with a shot.”
Legendary conditioner Luca Cumani has one International victory under his belt (Infamy {Ire}, 1988) and he saddles 3-1 morning-line favorite Second Step (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) Sunday afternoon. Victorious in half of his 10 career trips postward, the Merry Fox Stud homebred earned his first win at group level in the G2 Jockey Club S. May 2, defeating Telescope (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and subseqent G1 Coronation Cup hero Pether’s Moon (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}), then dropped a half-length decision to Big Orange (GB) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) in the G2 Princess of Wales’s S. at Newmarket July 9. The bay found another gear in the final 100 yards of the G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin to score by 3/4 of a length Aug. 9 (video).
“Initially we thought he wasn’t going anywhere,” said Emthe Kuhle-Hansen, travelling head lass for Cumani about his Group 1 win. “He was just plodding along and then all of a sudden [jockey] Jamie [Spencer] picked him up and he came on absolutely flying.”
Second Step exits a well-beaten fourth in the G1 Irish St Leger Sept. 13 and will cut back two furlongs in distance for this North American debut.
Triple Threat (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}) could not have been more impressive in landing his Stateside debut in the GII Monmouth S. over nine furlongs June 7, but he was undone by pelting rains that rendered the Arlington turf course yielding and struggled home 11th in the GI Arlington Million Aug. 15. He returned to this distance last time out and gave a solid account of himself with a third-place effort to longshot winner Interpol (English Channel) and the mare Habibi (NZ) (Ekraar) in the GI Northern Dancer Turf S. over yielding turf Sept. 13. He is a candidate to hit the board if the surface proves sounder Sunday afternoon.