Stephen Chesney and Cory Hoffman's Melmich will try to extend his perfect season when he faces just four other rivals in the $175,000 Autumn Stakes (G2) Nov. 12 at Woodbine.
Trained by Kevin Attard, Melmich has rolled off five victories in as many starts this season, securing four stakes wins, three graded stakes scores, and earnings of $266,699. All of that success has come in routes on the Tapeta 10 Woodbine track, which is what the 6-year-old Wilko gelding will try again in Sunday's 1 1/16-mile test.
Regular rider Eurico Rosa da Silva will be aboard. They've already teamed up this season for victories in the Dominion Day (G3), Seagram Cup (G3), and Durham Cup (G3) stakes. Their most recent effort was that Durham Cup victory Sept. 30, where Melmich drew off to win by 7 1/2 lengths.
Among those looking to end Melmich's perfect season will be Hopefield Farm's Gigantic Breeze, who enters off a four-length score in the Presque Isle Mile Stakes Sept. 17 —the first stakes win of his career. Gigantic Breeze earned the top Equibase Speed Figure of his career, 118, in that victory. Earlier this year, the 4-year-old Giant's Causeway gelding finished a close third to Melmich in the Seagram Cup and second to him in the Dominion Day.
Woodbine, Sunday, November 12, 2017, Race 8Entries: Autumn S. (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Western Reserve (KY) Luis Contreras 117 J. Kent Sweezey 12/1 2 2Tale of the Nile (KY) Patrick Husbands 117 Mark E. Casse 15/1 3 3Dragon Bay (KY) Rafael Manuel Hernandez 123 Stuart C. Simon 6/1 4 4Gigantic Breeze (ON) Gary Boulanger 119 Alexander F. McPherson 2/1 5 5Melmich (ON) Eurico Rosa Da Silva 121 Kevin Attard 3/5
