Stamina will be in high demand Aug. 16 when 11 3-year-olds attempt to stretch out to 11 furlongs in the $200,000 Canadian Derby (Can-III) at Northlands Park. Only one in the field, Edison, has gone as far as nine furlongs.
The light went on for Edison in his past two starts, an allowance/optional claiming score and then a victory in the Harry Jeffrey Stakes July 16. The son of Bernardini has won three of five starts, including his maiden win going 1 1/8 miles on the turf at Gulfstream Park last January. The Harry Jeffrey score was his first start on dirt, and he should receive the nice stalking trip that he prefers in the Canadian Derby.
The Spinmeister is an excellent 4-for-6 at Northlands Park, including his most recent outing, a score in the Count Lathum Handicap at 1 1/16 miles in July by 6 1/2 lengths. In May the Heatseeker gelding also won the Western Canada Handicap at Northlands, defeating in both races Go Max and Private Money Game, who both show up here. The Spinmeister, from the Rob Chabot stable, is the morning line favorite at 3-1.
Shootitinthebush, a last-out winner of the Triple K Oilfield Services Stakes by a whopping 18 1/2 lengths going a mile, likes to do his running on the front end. The Tribal Rule gelding has won three in a row on or near the lead and has won half of his 12 lifetime starts. He has never been farther than a mile.
Spicing up the field is Consecrate, the lone filly in the Canadian Derby. By Pulpit, Consecrate romped in the Northlands Park Oaks by 11 1/4 lengths at a flat mile in her last out July 18. She began her career with trainer Bob Baffert, but couldn’t break through in maiden allowance company in Southern California. She graduated in a claiming event at Santa Anita Park in March and was transferred to Greg Tracy earlier this summer.
Wilko Rum ran a respectable fourth in the Manitoba Derby in his last race and has hit the board in seven of 10 lifetime starts, mostly in allowance company. The Wilko colt will need to step it up a notch here.
Private Money Game and Go Max have both chased The Spinmeister home twice this season. Private Money Game, a gelded son of Congrats , won an allowance/optional claimer at Northfields two weeks ago. He has placed in a pair of stakes this season and is a consistent sort. Likewise Go Max, a colt by War Pass, has finished in the top three in eight of nine lifetime starts but has won just once. He finished third in the Canadian Juvenile at Northfields last October and always comes along for a piece after racing mid-pack.
Off the Top is another who is big on placing. He has rolled a trio of second-place finishes coming into the Canadian Derby, most recently in the British Columbia Cup Stellar’s Joy Handicap at Hastings Racecourse after setting the pace going 1 1/16 miles. Before that he stalked and was runner-up in the Chris Loseth Handicap. The Rosberg gelding has shown much more speed in those most recent efforts.
Remembertobreathe will make his first start outside Hastings in the Canadian Derby. He has shown the ability to stalk or run on the lead, and his most recent win came in the slop in June.
Local runner Lintlaw was fourth just behind Go Max in the Canadian Juvenile and was awarded his first victory in a year when he was placed first after having finished second in a July allowance effort going a mile. He is another mid-pack runner in a field crowded with them.
Awesome Nugget is ambitiously placed here, having won just a maiden claiming race in 10 efforts and finishing 22 3/4 lengths behind The Spinmeister in the Count Lathum.
Canadian Derby (G3)
Northlands Park, Saturday, August 16, 2014, Race 12
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Consecrate (KY) Scott Williams 117 Greg Tracy - 2 2Awesome Nugget (AB) Desmond Bryan 122 Tom Rycroft - 3 3Wilko Rum (ON) Jevian Toledo 122 Wally T.M. Pugh - 4 4Remembertobreathe (FL) Ryan Pacheco 122 Sylvea Gregory - 5 5Go Max (KY) Quincy Welch 122 Joan Petrowski - 6 6Private Money Game (FL) Damario Bynoe 122 Linda Kropius - 7 7Lintlaw (FL) Ismael Eluid Mosqueira 122 Floyd M. Arthur - 8 8Edison (FL) Rico W. Walcott 122 Robertino Diodoro - 9 9The Spinmeister (KY) Jorge Espitia 122 Rob Chabot - 10 10Shootitinthebush (AZ) Trevor Simpson 122 Robertino Diodoro - 11 11Off the Top (BC) Frank Perez Fuentes 122 Robert J. Anderson -
