Last-Out Stakes Winners Meet in Play the King

Three stakes winners all possessing an affinity for Woodbine, success at seven furlongs, and with multiple stakes wins so far this year will face off Aug. 20 in the Play the King Stakes (Can-IIT).

The heavy hitters are co-highweights Passion for Action, who has three 2016 stakes wins to his credit, and Dimension, who comes into the Play the King with two consecutive stakes victories, including one by a half-length over Passion for Action. Both will tote 123 pounds.

Benjamin Hutzel's homebred Passion for Action, a 4-year-old son of Speightstown  —Maritime Passion, by Stormy Atlantic  , has won three of his last four starts in stakes, which included the grade III Vigil and most recently the grade II Highlander. Two of his stakes wins have been on Woobine's Tapeta main track but he possesses a sold turf record with three wins and three seconds out of nine grass starts.

Passion for Action is trained by Michael De Paulo and will be ridden by Eurico Da Silva, who has a comfortable lead in the Woodbine jockey standings with 105 wins through Aug. 16.

Bred in Great Britain by Cheveley Park Stud, Dimension is an 8-year-old gelded son of Medicean—Palatial, by Green Desert, who is raced by Riverside Bloodstock and trained by Conor Murphy. The gelding is enjoying a resurgence after a poor 2015 season in which he didn't hit the board in four starts.

This year his debut was rocky, but since then he has reeled off wins in the seven-furlong Connaught Cup Stakes (Can-IIT), in which he beat Passion for Action, and the one-mile King Edward Stakes (Can-IIT). Dimension will be ridden by David Moran, who has been aboard for both stakes wins. Moran last rode Dimension in the 2014 Play the King, in which he finished third.

The young gun in the field, 3-year-old Conquest Enforcer, also comes into the Play the King with a hot hand. The son of Into Mischief  —Keen Victory, by Victory Gallop, won his first start of the year May 21 in the Queenston Stakes by 7 3/4- engths on Woodbine's synthetic track and followed up with a 1 1/4-length victory in the one-mile Charley Barley Stakes.

Bred in Ontario by Tall Oaks Farm, Conquest Enforcer was a  $210,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling purchase by Ernie Semersky and Dory Newell's Conquest Stable.

Conquest Enforcer, who will carry 119 pounds, is trained by Mark Casse and will be ridden by regular rider Patrick Husbands. The colt apparently showed enough promise at 2 that his first start came in the grade II Summer Stakes at Woodbine. He finished fourth in his inaugural run, which produced his only loss.