Lukes Alley, Golden Sabre Back for Autumn

Melnyk Racing Stables' Lukes Alley, last year's Sovereign Award winner as champion older horse, will make his third start of 2015 against a familiar group of rivals in the $200,000 Autumn Stakes (Can-II) Nov. 8 at Woodbine.



In his previous start, Lukes Alley broke slowly and went five wide in the second turn of the Durham Cup (Can-III) and was no match for hard-closing Sam-Son Farm homebred Golden Sabre in the stretch. The 5-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro   set the track record in the 1 1/8-mile Durham, 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Lukes Alley, for his first graded win and returns for the 1 1/16-mile Autumn.



LAMARRA: Golden Sabre Sets Track Record in Durham Cup



Fellow graded winners Are You Kidding Me (third) and Florida Won (fifth) are also coming off Durham runs to try the Autumn.



After winning last year's Durham and Autumn back-to-back, Lukes Alley came off a 10-month layoff to win a 1 1/16-mile allowance by 2 3/4 lengths at Woodbine Sept. 12 in his 2015 debut before this year's Durham.



Last year's Sky Classic (Can-II) winner, Karibu Gardens, is another graded winner in the field and English handicap victor Western Reserve provides a fresh face in his North American debut.



The Autumn is the only graded event on the Sunday card at Woodbine, but it won't be the highest-priced stakes. That will go to the $250,000 Coronation Futurity, restricted for 2-year-olds foaled in Canada. The Coronation Futurity appears to be a wide-open affair with the absence of Cup and Saucer Stakes winner Conquest Enforcer.



MITCHELL: Conquest Enforcer Draws Off in Cup and Saucer



Six juveniles in the field of 10 will return from the Cup and Saucer for the Coronation Futurity, however, including Butterfly Dance (second in the Cup and Saucer, 6 3/4 lengths back), Shakhimat (third), Niigon's Edge (fifth), Gigantic Breeze (seventh), Scholar Athlete (11th), and Conquest Twister (12th).