March to the Arch Returns to Canada for King Edward

Eight weeks after March to the Arch finished sixth in the June 20 Wise Dan Stakes (G2T) at Churchill Downs, his 2 1/4-length defeat looks better than it did at the time. With many of the Wise Dan's other competitors performing at a high level next out, he rates as one of the favorites for the CA$175,000 King Edward Stakes (G2T) Aug. 15 at Woodbine.

Wise Dan winner Factor This and fourth-place Aquaphobia recorded next-out stakes wins, while third-placed Parlor came within a nose of winning a grade 1. Factor This won the Kentucky Downs Preview Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes at Ellis Park; Aquaphobia captured the United Nations Stakes (G1T) at Monmouth Park; and Parlor ran second in the Maker's Mark Mile Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland.

Now Live Oak Plantation's March to the Arch has his opportunity to continue that success when he faces Silent Poet, Delaware, and five others in the King Edward, a mile race on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course. The Mark Casse trainee has not run at Woodbine since 2018 when he won the Toronto Cup Stakes in his lone appearance over the local grass course.

The 5-year-old gelded son of Arch has since made 15 consecutive starts in the U.S., capturing three stakes. He took the Touch Vodka Turf Classic Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs and the Wise Dan during his 2019 campaign before adding the Sunshine Millions Turf Stakes early this year at Gulfstream Park.

He has lost four subsequent starts, though only a 10th-place finish in the Shoemaker Mile Stakes (G1T) two races ago at Santa Anita Park was lackluster.

Rafael Hernandez will ride the veteran campaigner, the morning-line 4-1 third choice.

Casse, who won the 2008 King Edward with Royal Oath, also sends out John Oxley's Dream Maker, a Tapit  colt who faltered on the Triple Crown trail early last year at age 3. He makes his first start on grass in the King Edward after a close fourth-place finish in a comeback race July 12 in a Woodbine allowance optional claimer.

Dream Maker is related to four grass winners, including full sister Dream Dancing, winner of the 2017 Del Mar Oaks Presented by The Jockey Club (G1T).

Emma-Jayne Wilson will be aboard for the first time. 

Favored at program odds of 9-5 is Silent Poet, a Stronach Stables homebred, who is 2-for-2 this year while racing over distances shorter than Saturday's race. He won the restricted Vice Regent Stakes at mile in September 2018, but his four victories since have been between 6 1/2 and 7 1/2 furlongs.

The Silent Name  gelding holds the Woodbine course record of 1:19.22 for seven furlongs, posted while winning last summer's Play the King Stakes (G2T). He is 8-4-1 in 15 starts for trainer Nicholas Gonzalez.

The second choice at morning-line odds of 5-2 is Delaware, a Juddmonte Farms' homebred by Frankel who notched two stakes wins in France last year at a mile, including the Shadwell Prix Daphnis (G3) at Deauville.

After an eighth in his U.S. bow June 7 in the First Defence Stakes for trainer Chad Brown, he finished second in a fast seven-furlong allowance optional claimer at Belmont Park that stablemate Front Run the Fed won in 1:20.13.