Joshua Tree leads European sweep in Canadian International
Joshua Tree led a clean sweep of the Grade One races at Woodbine with victory in the Pattison Canadian International.
Fifty Proof, the Canadian horse, tried to lead wire-to-wire and was still in front with about one-and-a-furlongs to run. But the European runners were waiting to pounce and Colm O'Donoghue had put himself in the prime position to cut down the leader in the last furlong.
As Joshua Tree took up the running the one-two-three for European runners was completed with Moores Wells and Redwood, who did not get the same trip as he had in the Northern Dancer over course and distance last month, came through the pack to finish second and third.
This was O'Donoghue’s fourth Group or Grade One victory for Aidan O’Brien but while the others had been on understudy horses who had beaten better-regarded stable companions, this time he was given the spotlight horse for the trainer and he was not dazzled in the least.
“It’s amazing,” O'Donoghue said, probably still calculating his share of the Can$2million purse. “It’s very important to me – I wanted this and it means an awful lot. I owe a lot of gratitude to the owners who put the trust in me and this is payback time.”
Joshua Tree, the winner of the Group Two Royal Lodge Stakes last season, was making on the third start of the year, having finished third in the Group Two Great Voltigeur Stakes at York in August and then perhaps not quite seeing out the trip when upped in distance for the St Leger at Donacaster last month, where he finished fifth. O'Donoghue had been in the saddle for the Royal Lodge he went into this race confident that the colt was in good form. “He was trained for today and Aidan knew he was the right horse for the race, and he kept him instead of running him in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.”
Serious Attitude, a filly who had reached top as a two-year-old bit then lost her way, was the surprise winner of Grade One Nearctic Stakes.
The winner of the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes as a juvenile in 2009, Serious Attitude had been well backed for last season’s 1000 Guineas, in which she finished seventh, but from there her form head steadily tailed off to the point that she finished last in the July Cup.
The fact that Rae Guest had managed to book top rider Garrett Gomez seemed more of a testimony to the trainer’s selling skills but Serious Attitude (pictured) looked a completely different prospect on what was her first run on lasix.
Both Serious Attitude and Balthazaar's Gift – who had beaten Serious Attitude with some ease in the Group Two Park Stakes at Newmarket last month – were at the back of the field of the pace that was being set by Bridgetown and Sneaking Uponyou.
But while Balthazaar's Gift never really got into the race, finishing last of the 12 runners, Gomez managed to sneak Serious Attitude between horses in the home straight to burst clear with about a furlong to run, with Grand Adventure and Fatal Bullet taking the places.
“We knew that there was a good race in her and we were running out of good races to run her in and we thought it was the ideal race for her,” Guest said. “She’s going to be sold at Fasig-Tipton on November 7th so we thought this would be a nice little boost for the sales.”
The plan had been to be closer to the pace but Serious Attitude was bumped by one of the other runners and Gomez had to rewrite the game plan. “He gave her a great ride,” Guest said. “He got over on the inside, saved ground, sat, found his position and made a nice run up the straight.”
Reggane, trained by Alain de Royer-Dupre and ridden by Christophe Soumillon, made it another strong showing for European-trained runners on North American turf with a victory in the Grade One EP Taylor Stakes.
Reggane came home in front of Miss Keller and Shalanaya, with the Luca Cumani-trained Contredanse fourth.
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