Curlin's Honor Again Faces El Tormenta in Play the King

El Tormenta and Curlin's Honor will face off in the $175,000 Play the King Stakes Aug. 24, when a field of six 3-year-olds and older contest seven furlongs over the Woodbine turf.

Sam Son Farm's homebred El Tormenta won the Connaught Cup Stakes (G2T) going seven furlongs June 1, but finished just a length in front of third-placed Curlin's Honor, who chased the frontrunners down gamely in the final furlong.

Trained by Gail Cox, El Tormenta came back a month later to place fourth after getting bumped at the start of the six-furlong Highlander Stakes (G1T) at the Ontario track. The 4-year-old Stormy Atlantic  gelding then finished second behind Play the King contender Silent Poet in a July 21 allowance race going 6 1/2 furlongs over the same course.

Racing from the rail, El Tormenta has been tabbed the morning-line favorite at odds of 9-5.

Curlin's Honor, who is winless in four starts this season, wheeled back June 29 and was passed late to finish runner up in the King Edward Stakes (G2T) behind Synchrony. The Mark Casse-trainee had pressed the pace and taken over in the stretch but fell short by a length.

The 4-year-old Curlin  colt drew the outside post in the field of six—of which five are geldings.

Stronach Stables' homebred Silent Poet will be making his graded stakes debut for trainer Nicholas Gonzalez in the Play the King, and has been slated morning-line odds of 2-1.

"I'll tell you what, he made his first start this year in a very tough allowance race, and it was his first start since being gelded," Gonzalez noted. "He's a very happy horse now, not that he wasn't when he was a colt. I really couldn't be happier the way he's going."

Silent Poet has won five of his 10 starts and has only finished off the board once in the 2018 Queen's Plate. 

"He's had some good breezes between his first race this year and now," Gonzalez said. "This will be a tough test for him, but he's coming off a good one and he deserves to run in this. If you look at his form, and you took the Queen's Plate off it, he's got a brilliant record. He always goes out there and gives you everything he has. Even if he's beaten, it never seems to be by much. He's a very versatile horse too."

Sable Island, second in the Vigil Stakes (G3T) in his last start, will also join Admiralty Pier and last out allowance winner Carmenootz in the starting gate for Saturday's Play the King.