Clash looms for sprint stars

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The $175,000 Kennedy Road Stakes on Nov. 27 is shaping up as one of the best races of the Woodbine meet. The Grade 2 sprint is expected to lure champions Pink Lloyd and Avie’s Flatter, as well as divisional leader Souper Stonehenge.

Clayton and Lenny K also are headed to the six-furlong event after they both prevailed in their last races with 90 Beyer Speed Figures for trainer Kevin Attard.

Clayton, the runner-up to Mighty Heart in the 2020 Prince of Wales Stakes, returned from a one-year layoff to nose out Lenny K for the win in a second-level allowance on Oct. 17. Attard said he wasn’t surprised by the sharp front-running performance.

“He’d been training really good,” Attard said. “I figured he was going to run a big race. He had a couple little setbacks early in the spring, and we had to be a little more patient with him. We bided our time and gelded him. I think he’s just a better horse right now.”

Lenny K returned to win a second-level allowance on Nov. 7, when he rallied along a live rail to beat the favored Chicago shipper Richies in the house by a neck. Attard said he has no local options for him other than the Kennedy Road.

“He’s limited to where he can run,” Attard said. “The way he’s been running, I wouldn’t discount him, that’s for sure. It seems like he’s a changed horse since” coming off the pace.

Moira points to Mazarine

Attard said the unbeaten Ontario-bred 2-year-old filly Moira is on target for the Grade 3 Mazarine at 1 1/16 miles here Nov. 28.

Moira came from near the rear of a 10-horse field of Canadian-breds to land her debut in a professional manner in the 1 1/16-mile Princess Elizabeth Stakes on Oct. 23.

“She had a nice breeze last week,” Attard said. “She’s put on a little weight since her last race, which is nice. I think it’s going to be a pretty competitive field.”

Among the other promising fillies nominated to the $150,000 Mazarine are Aubrieta, Kanta, Mrs. Barbara, and Souper Hoity Toity.

Meyer tops allowance feature

The consistent Meyer heads Thursday’s featured sixth race, a nonwinners-of-three hybrid route for Ontario-sired allowance types and $40,000 claimers.

Meyer is best known for filling out the exacta behind Belichick in last year’s Breeders’ Stakes, the final leg of the Canadian Triple Crown traveling 1 1/2 miles on the grass.

Meyer prefers turf, but his last two Tapeta races over 1 1/16 miles were both pretty good. He led along the inside before weakening late to third over an outside-biased surface most recently Oct. 24.

Trained by Marty Drexler, Meyer is being reunited with leading rider Kazushi Kimura, who was aboard for his Sept. 5 triumph on the main turf.