The European invasion of the 2002 Canadian International (gr. IT) is almost underway as Zindabad, who finished third, but was disqualified for interference and placed sixth in the 2001 International, arrives at Woodbine from England on the evening of Sept. 20.
The Mark Johnston trainee is in good form heading into the $1-million International on Sept. 29, which is race 8 of the 14-race World Series Racing Championship. The 6-year-old has two group II wins and a third in the King George and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes (Eng-I), the British leg of the WSRC, behind Golan.
The rest of the European troops including Paolini, the German 5-year-old who finished second in last year's International, will arrive at Woodbine next week. Paolini, trained by Andreas Wohler, will ship to Woodbine from Frankfurt on the afternoon of Sept. 22.
Also, Ballingarry, from the barn of Aiden O'Brien, should stay the 1 1/2-mile distance well. The 3-year-old son of Sadler's Wells is expected next Tuesday from Ireland in preparation for the grade 1 event.
Also arriving Tuesday is another Mark Johnston runner. Yavana's Pace is in Germany and expected to run in a race there before shipping to Woodbine. The 10-year-old became the oldest horse to win a group I event when taking the Credit Suisse Private Banking Pokal at Cologne on Aug. 11.
The foursome joins locals Perfect Soul, the Niagara Breeders' Cup runner-up from the shedrow of Roger Attfield and Mark Frostad's pair of Breeders' Stakes winner, Portcullis and Niagara Breeders' Cup winner, Full of Wonder.
Current World Series Racing Championship Standings:
HORSES/POINTS
Grandera (IRE) 28
Street Cry (IRE) 12
Eishin Preston (USA) 12
Golan (IRE) 12
Beat Hollow (GB) 12
Marienbard (IRE) 12
JOCKEYS/POINTS
Lanfranco Dettori 44
Jerry Bailey 24
Kieren Fallon 13
Yuichi Fukunaga 12
Andreas Suborics 9
TRAINERS/POINTS
Saeed bin Suroor 60
Sir Michael Stoute 14
Shuji Kitahashi 12
Ivan Allan 12
Bobby Frankel 12
OWNERS/POINTS
Godolphin 56
Toyomitsu Hirai 12
Executors of the late Lord Weinstock 12
Juddmonte Farms Inc. 12
Hamdan Al Maktoum 10
Gary Tanaka 10
Remaining World Series Racing Championship Races:
Canadian International (Sept. 29)
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Oct. 6)
Carlton Draught Cox Plate Cox Plate (Oct. 26)
Breeders' Cup Turf (Oct. 26)
Breeders' Cup Classic (Oct. 26)
Japan Cup (Nov. 24)
Hong Kong Cup (Nov. 15)
