Velocitor, Touch'n Ride Meet Again in Ontario Derby

The winners of last two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown—Velocitor  andTouch'n Ride —meet for the first time since the King's Plate Stakes in the Oct. 21 Ontario Derby (G3) at Woodbine. 

Both of the Ontario-breds finished off the board in Canada's most prestigious 3-year-old race, the CA$1 million King's Plate, but Velocitor bounced back for a convincing win in the Prince of Wales Stakes. Touch'n Ride sat that one out and came into the third leg, the Breeders' Stakes, as a fresh horse, prevailing by a nose going 1 1/2 miles on turf. 

The Ontario Derby will be run on Tapeta, the same surface over which the King's Plate was contested.

Also formidable are a pair of Mark Casse-trained fillies, Forever Dixie  and Solo Album , the one-two finishers in the Oct. 1 Ontario Damsel Stakes.

What They Said

Kevin Attard, trainer: "Velocitor has been doing well since his Prince of Wales win. He's had a few easy breezes since and has been feeling very good about himself.

"The cut back to nine furlongs should be to his liking. It's a very competitive field and should set up to be an exciting horse race."

"I think since gelding him he's just gotten more focused and has steadily improved to get back to the type of horse we were hoping he would turn out to be."