Starship Jubilee, Pink Lloyd Top Ricoh Mile Undercard

Starship Jubilee ran perhaps the best race of her career in last year's Canadian Stakes Presented by the Japan Racing Association (G2T), springing an 11-1 upset at Woodbine as the second-longest shot in a field of six, which included a pair of favored Chad Brown shippers.

The mare will have to be equally sharp to defend her title Sept. 14 in the $250,000 Canadian, a 1 1/8-mile turf race for fillies and mares, but trainer Kevin Attard thinks she's right there.

"I think her form indicates she hasn't lost a step," Attard said. "The Canadian was exceptionally good, and she'd probably have to come up with a similar performance on Saturday."

Starship Jubilee, a 6-year-old daughter of Indy Wind, was claimed for $16,000 on Attard's behalf by his father and fellow trainer, Tino Attard, at Gulfstream Park in February 2017. Since then, the Florida-bred mare has won five stakes races, including three at the grade 2 level.

Entered in last year's Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, Starship Jubilee failed to meet her reserve on a final bid of $425,000 and afterward was sold privately to Bonnie Baskin's Blue Heaven Farm.

Last time out, Starship Jubilee journeyed to Saratoga Race Course for the Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa Stakes (G2T), where she was beaten a half-length as the third-place finisher.

"She was a little rank early, and the pace was slower than I'd anticipated," Attard said. "I thought she ran a great race, considering."

In her two starts this year on the Woodbine turf course, Starship Jubilee finished second behind Secret Message in the Nassau Stakes (G2T) and then was second behind Holy Helena in the Dance Smartly Stakes (G2T).

Holy Helena once more looms as the one to beat in the Canadian as she makes her first start since the June 29 Dance Smartly. The 5-year-old Stronach Stables homebred, Canada's champion 3-year-old filly of 2017 after winning the Woodbine Oaks Presented by Budweiser and Queen's Plate Stakes, has raced almost exclusively on the grass the past two seasons and has four graded stakes scores.

New York-based James Jerkens is the conditioner of record, but the Ghostzapper  mare has been here with Mike Doyle, a trainer in his own right and a Team Stronach racing consultant, since mid-June.

Adding some pomp to the Canadian is the presence of Magnetic Charm, a 3-year-old Exceed And Excel filly who races for Queen Elizabeth II.

Magnetic Charm is trained by William Haggas, who also conditions Awesometank and will send out that filly to face males in the day's feature, the Ricoh Woodbine Mile Stakes (G1T). Magnetic Charm will be the second Woodbine representative for the queen, whose Dartmouth was the runner-up in the 2016 Canadian International.

Competitionofideas, trained by Chad Brown, is a grade 1 winner, having captured the 1 1/4-mile American Oaks (G1T) at Santa Anita in December.

Although winless in four starts this season, Competitionofideas was beaten a grand total of one length in her first three stakes appearances. The 4-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Speightstown  then finished third behind champion stablemate Sistercharlie and the English invader Awesometank in Arlington International Racecourse's Beverly D. Stakes (G1T).

Pink Lloyd Guns for Bold Venture

Hall of Fame trainer Robert Tiller has admittedly run out of ways to describe Pink Lloyd. But he was able to find one more ahead of the $125,000 Bold Venture Stakes (G3).

Over a 26-race career that's yielded 21 wins (18 in stakes), multiple Sovereign Award recognition, including as Canada's Horse of the Year in 2017, 7-year-old Pink Lloyd has established himself as a fan favorite. For his conditioner, words of praise have become a seemingly endless string of superlatives.

"You're running out of words, there's no doubt about that," offered Tiller ahead of the 6 1/2-furlong Bold Venture. "I know I'm running out of words, that's for sure. That's a good sign. He's a horse from outer space … there's a new quote for you. He's amazing. He's acting just fine, and he looks sharp."

Pink Lloyd will be looking for a measure of revenge after finishing fifth to Yorkton in the 2018 Bold Venture.

"These are tougher than his last (race), and he's running back after two-plus weeks," noted Tiller. "It's not what we really wanted to do. … I like to have at least three weeks, or four, in between his races … but he's doing great. The weight (128 pounds) and running back that quickly is a concern, but he's acting just fine."

The field also includes Curlin's Honor, who is owned by John Oxley and Breeze Easy and has a 3-3-3 record from 13 starts. Trained by Mark Casse, the 4-year-old son of Curlin  won last year's Woodstock Stakes at Woodbine.

Ikerrin Road is an 11-time winner from 32 starts. The Vito Armata trainee took last year's Kennedy Road Stakes (G2) at Woodbine. O'Kratos, a 4-year-old son of Paddy O'Prado, has won four of 10 starts for conditioner Darwin Banach. The gray gelding arrives at the Bold Venture off a win at seven panels over the Toronto oval Tapeta July 28. Box Arrow Farm's Sable Island finished second to Pink Lloyd in the Vigil Stakes (G3) and comes into the Bold Venture off a strong second-place performance to Silent Poet (who'll contest the Woodbine Mile) in the Play the King Stakes (G2T).

The Bold Venture is race 3 of the 12-race card. First post is 1:05 p.m. ET.

Entries: Canadian S. Presented by the Japan Racing Association (G2T)

Woodbine, Saturday, September 14, 2019, Race 7

• Grade IIT
• 1 1/8m
• Turf
• $250,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 4:30 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Touriga (BRZ)	Tyler Gaffalione	121	H. Graham Motion	6/1
2	2Holy Helena (ON)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	121	James A. Jerkens	5/2
3	3Magnetic Charm (GB)	Kazushi Kimura	110	William J. Haggas	8/1
4	4Dixie Moon (ON)	Eurico Rosa Da Silva	115	Catherine Day Phillips	20/1
5	5Competitionofideas (KY)	Joel Rosario	121	Chad C. Brown	8/5
6	6Starship Jubilee (FL)	Luis Contreras	119	Kevin Attard	7/2
7	7Giovanna Blues (KY)	Gary Boulanger	117	Francine A. Villeneuve	12/1