Canadian International Draws Quality Field

A field of 11 line up in Saturday’s $800,000 Pattison Canadian International (G1) at Woodbine. (Photo credit: Woodbine Entertainment).

A quality field of 11 runners line up in Saturday’s $800,000 Pattison Canadian International (G1) at Woodbine led by the Euro invader Thundering Blue for trainer David Menuisier.

Horses shipping in from overseas have performed quiet well in this race, taking six of the last seven editions.

Thundering Snow is the 2-1 morning line favorite and comes in off a Group 3 victory in Sweden. He ran third at 50-1 odds in the Juddmonte International Stales (G1) at York in August.

The call goes to the Graham Motion trained Spring Quality (4-1) who wheels back two weeks after finishing a well beaten seventh in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1) at Belmont Park. The six-year-old did not care much for the soft going and we are looking for him to rebound with a much better effort.

Canadian International Day at Woodbine features an outstanding 11-race card that includes the $500,000 E.P. Taylor (G1), $250,000 Nearctic (G2) and the $125,00 Ontario Derby (G3).

Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Highlight at Keeneland

The feature at Keeneland on Saturday is the $500,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1), a 1 1/8-mile test on turf for fillies and mares. A field of eight go including the Chad Brown trained Rushing Fall.

Rushing Fall is the 7-5 morning line favorite and is perfect in her two trips over the Keeneland turf. She won the Jessamine (G3) last fall and this spring won the Appalachian (G2). She has won five of her six career starts including the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).

Among her main foes are the Euro invader Nyaleti (5-1), Del Mar Oaks (G1) winner Fatale Bere (5-1) and Lake George (G3) winner Daddy Is a Legend (6-1).

Saturday’s Best Plays Report will include my strongest plays from Belmont Park, Keeneland and Woodbine.

Pattison Canadian International Analysis:

Woodbine Race 9 The Patterson Canadian International G1 (Post time 5:41 ET)

6 Spring Quality 4-1

3 Khan 10-1

2 Thundering Blue 2-1

4 Funtastic 8-1

Spring Quality

Comes back just two weeks after fading to finish a well beaten seventh in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1) where he just did not like the soft going. The gelding ran triple digit Beyers in his four previous starts including winning the Manhattan (G1) three back at Belmont park going 1 ¼ miles and a third in the Sword Dancer (G1) two back at today’s 1 ½ mile distance. The Motion trainee has bene better on former ground which is appears he should get today, and fact Motion is bringing him back so quickly bodes well his last outing did not take much out of him.

Khan

Is one of three overseas shippers in here and Euro invaders have dominated this race, winning six in a row before Bullards Bay stopped the streak last year. The colt is coming off a six-length win in the Preis von Europa (G1) at Cologne in Germany earning a career top Timeform figure. The main knock is his victory last out snapped an 11-race losing streak since he broke his maiden in France in May of ’17. I’ll take the view he can run back to his last outing and this is not one of the deepest field for this race we have seen in recent years. He will be the overlooked Euro invader and should be a decent price.

Thundering Blue

Is coming off an easy win in Group 3 company in Sweden but the effort that really get the attention is his close up third two back in the Juddmonte International Stakes (G1) at York where he was beaten just 3 ¾ lengths for the top spot by Roaring Lion and just a half-length behind Poet’s Word for the runner up spot at 50-1. Roaring Lion came back to win the Irish Champion Stakes (G1) in his next outing on Sept. 15 at Leopardstown and could be Breeders’ Cup bound. He won the York Stakes (G3) back in July which was his first start in Group company. A remarkable improvement in his five-year-old campaign. The main knock is going to be the light price.