Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Calgary Cat prepping in Play the King Stakes
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Calgary Cat will prep for the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile in Saturday’s $175,000 Play the King Stakes at Woodbine, a seven-furlong turf sprint that lured an excellent field of Mile hopefuls.
Calgary Cat is winless in three starts this year, but the stretch-runner fired nicely in his last two outings, including a troubled second to Green Mask in the Grade 2 Highlander here. Green Mask subsequently won the Troy Stakes at Saratoga with a 110 Beyer Speed Figure and is arguably North America’s leading turf sprinter.
“It was a good race,” said trainer Kevin Attard. “We were trying to stay a little closer to the pace, and he got checked into the turn. He lost a little momentum. I don’t think he was going to beat [Green Mask], but he might have given him a run for his money.”
Attard said he hopes to run Calgary Cat back in the $800,000 Woodbine Mile on Sept. 16.
“That’s definitely the longterm goal,” Attard said. “With the way [Luis Contreras] rides him, he has a knack of shutting him down early. I think that will help him going a mile. Hopefully, he’ll come up with a big race [Saturday]. If so, that’s what we’ll target next.”
The Grade 2 Play the King goes as race 8 on a solid 10-race card.
KEY CONTENDERS
Calgary Cat, by Cowtown Cat Last 3 Beyers: 104-103-92
◗ The 2014 Canadian champion male sprinter, he is winless in two seven-furlong grass starts but was beaten just a head by Tower of Texas and Commute when third over that distance in the Grade 2 Connaught Cup on June 3.
Dowse’s Beach, by Disco Rico Last 3 Beyers: 102-98-91
◗ He was claimed for $62,500 by Green Mask’s trainer, Brad Cox, in May at Belmont. He went on to wire optional claimers over six and seven furlongs there in his next two races and could prove tough to catch in the Play the King.
Tower of Texas, by Street Sense Last 3 Beyers: 96-103-88
◗ The runner-up in last year’s Woodbine Mile and Play the King, he won the Connaught Cup after an extended layoff and had traffic problems before closing for third most recently in the Grade 2 King Edward here. Tombelaine, by First Defense Last 3 Beyers: 101-95-101
◗ The Chad Brown-trained shipper is coming off a fast victory in a one-mile optional claimer at Belmont.
Hootenanny, by Quality Road Last 3 Beyers: 97-92-92
◗ The 2014 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner, he nearly ended a long win drought at Woodbine for trainer Wesley Ward when he narrowly lost the one-mile King Edward to longshot Go Bro. The blinkers go on.