Second choice Saturday will be North East Bound, who has had two tough beats here this winter, second by a head in the Appleton Handicap (gr. IIT) and second by a neck in the Fort Lauderdale (gr. IIIT).This 36th running of the Canadian Turf will go as the 11th event on a 12-race card. In the 10th race, several 3-year-olds with designs on future stakes will clash, with Florida Derby nominee Monthir, who was second in the grade II Hutcheson, and Holy Bull Stakes fourth Nokoma topping the event for non-winners of a race other than maiden or claiming.
Team Mott-Bailey will be favored to chalk up another stakes victory Saturday when Hap heads a field of nine older horses in the $150,000 Canadian Turf Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on the Gulfstream turf course.Bailey will take his accustomed seat on the Bill Mott-trained Hap, who is expected to be a strong favorite despite carrying highweight of 123 pounds in his first start since he was fifth in the Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT) last Oct. 27.Hap, who races for the A.E. Paulson Living Trust, won four graded turf stakes last season, including the grade II Dixie at Pimlico and the grade II Keeneland Turf Mile.