Aheadbyacentury looking for Triple Crown breakthrough

TORONTO John Ross watched Aheadbyacentury come close in the first two jewels of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown.

With his horse’s dominant rival skipping the Breeders’ Stakes, the veteran trainer is hoping their time as bridesmaids is finally up.

After finishing second to standout filly Wonder Gadot in both the Queen’s Plate and the Prince of Wales Stakes, Aheadbyacentury is the early 5/2 favourite for Saturday’s $400,000 gallop over 1 1/2 miles on Woodbine Racetrack’s turf course.

“He keeps getting better and better,” Ross said. “I like the way we’re going.”

The consistent Aheadbyacentury, with two seconds and two thirds in five starts in 2018, has $513,800 in career earnings, including $311,250 this year thanks in large part to his Triple Crown performances.

A colt named after the Tragically Hip song that closed the iconic Canadian band’s final concert in 2016, the threeyear-old son of Midnight Lute has a pair of wins, two secondplace finishes and three thirdplace showings in nine-career races.

“He’s the only horse that’s been in all three legs of this Triple Crown,” said Ross, who co-owns Aheadbyacentury with Jack of Hearts Racing. “A lot of horses don’t go the whole way like this.”

Instead of trying to secure the Breeders’ for the first Canadian Triple Crown since 2003 when Wando accomplished the feat, Wonder Gadot is instead preparing to run in the more lucrative Grade 1 Travers Stakes in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Aug. 25 against a full field of male horses.