Cannock Chase rallies to capture $1-million Pattison Canadian International

TORONTO – Riding at Woodbine Racetrack brings out the best in jockey Ryan Moore.

The 32-year-old Englishman guided 5/2 favourite Cannock Chase to a 1 1/2-length victory in the $1-million Pattison Canadian International on Sunday. The victory was Moore’s third straight in this race — he won aboard Joshua Tree in 2013 and Hillstar last year — and also rode British-bred Curvy to victory in the Grade 1 $500,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes.

Moore became the first jockey to win three straight International races since ’58 when it became a turf event. In seven career appearances at Woodbine, Moore has three wins, two second-place finishes and a third.

“I’ve been lucky enough to ride horses that have been laid out for the race and well prepared and the race was chosen carefully for them,” Moore said. “Yeah, things have worked out well here.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I've been lucky enough to ride horses that have been laid out for the race and well prepared and the race was chosen carefully for them," Moore said. "Yeah, things have worked out well here."

Moore is also the first jockey since Gary Stevens in 1998 to win the International and E.P. Taylor on the same day.

Cannock Chase became the 28th American-bred horse to win this event but the first since Marsh Side in 2008. Winning trainer Sir Michael Stoute, who didn’t attend, recorded his third International victory, winning in ’96 with Singspiel and last year with Hillstar.

Cannock Chase won the 1 1/2-mile event in 2:29.26 on a good turf to secure the $600,000 winner’s share.

Up With the Birds — one of four Canadian-bred horses in the race — was second ahead of Sheikhzayedroad as the British-bred rallied nicely from a terrible start that left him last in the 11-horse field.

Moore said Cannock Chase also started poorly and after a mile the four-year-old Kentucky-bred stood 10th. But Moore had moved Cannock Chase to fourth in the straightaway and knew he had plenty of horse left coming home.

“Once he was off the fence he travelled very powerfully around the bend and I put him into a gap,” Moore said. “As soon as we had room he quickened very well and he won easily.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Once he was off the fence he travelled very powerfully around the bend and I put him into a gap," Moore said. "As soon as we had room he quickened very well and he won easily."

John Velazquez, the Hall of Fame jockey aboard Sam-Son Farm-owned Up With the Birds, was ecstatic with the second-place finish of Canada’s 2013 horse of the year.

“I had a perfect trip,” he said. “He tipped out and he was running so well that I thought they’re really going to have to run hard to beat him.

“He was absolutely rolling down the lane. He ran so well.”

Sheikhzayedroad’s jockey Martin Lane explained why he was forced to go wide down the stretch.

“I had a wall of horses in front of me going around the bend so I had to switch wide, which is never ideal,” he said. “With a bit further, we might have got second but looking at the winner that’s the best we could’ve done on the day.”

The remainder of the field, in order of finish, included: Kaigun; Reporting Star; Triple Threat; Danish Dynaformer; Power Ped; Second Step; Interpol; and Habibi.

The win was Cannock Chase’s second in six races this year and fourth in nine career starts. Bruce Raymond, the racing manager for owner Rabbah Bloodstock LLC, said he expects Cannock Chase will end his 2015 campaign a champion.

“I would have to talk with (Sir) Michael Stoute about that but I would doubt him going,” he said. “I would think he’d be finished for the year.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I would have to talk with (Sir) Michael Stoute about that but I would doubt him going," he said. "I would think he'd be finished for the year."

Cannock Chase paid $7.50, $4.60 and $3.40 while Up With the Birds returned $10.10 and $7.10. Sheikhzayedroad paid $6.10.

Moore and Curvy finished the 1 1/4-mile E.P. Taylor turf race in 2:02.88. Talmada, at 10/1 odds, was second while Rosalind finished third.

Curvy was coming off a disappointing fifth in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl at Belmont Park in her North America debut Oct. 3. Curvy paid $6.90, $4.80 and $3.50 while Talmada returned $9.80 and $6.30.

Rosalind paid $8.40.

Meanwhile, Bye Bye Bernie won the Grade 2 $300,000 Nearctic Stakes in stirring fashion. The 22/1 longshot claimed the six-furlong turf race by a head over Summation Time in 1:09.00. The Great War took third.

Winning Jockey Rafael Hernandez rode Shaman Ghost to victory in the Queen’s Plate at Woodbine in July. Cyclogenisis, the 5/2 favourite, was a distant 10th.

Bye By Bernie paid $46.10, $17.50 and $8.30 while Summation Time returned $7.80 and $4.90. The Great War paid $4.50.