Tower of Texas Has Eye on Connaught Cup Repeat

Thomas F. Van Meter II and Scott Dilworth's venerable turf titan Tower of Texas will look to defend his title in the $175,000 Connaught Cup Stakes (G2T) June 2 at Woodbine.

Trained by Roger Attfield, Tower of Texas rallied to win last year's edition of the seven-furlong turf sprint by a narrow nose over Commute. The 7-year-old gelded son of Street Sense , bred in Ontario by Anderson Farms and Rod Ferguson, is a model of consistency on Woodbine's E.P. Taylor Turf Course, where he boasts a record of 3-5-2 from 13 starts. Those wins include a score in the 2015 running of the King Edward Stakes (G2T).

"He's a very easy horse to get along with," said jockey Eurico Rosa Da Silva. "He goes out there and gives 100%. What makes him a different horse is that last eighth of a mile. He has such big acceleration. He starts accelerating at the quarter pole, but that last eighth of a mile he always has that strong pick up. He loves to finish well.

Tower of Texas began his 2018 season with a victory in the Jan 13 Colonel E.R. Bradley Handicap at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots before making a creditable dirt debut when he finished third in the Hal's Hope Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park. Last out, the bay runner landed eighth in the April 13 Maker's 46 Mile Stakes (G1T) won by Heart to Heart, with Connaught Cup rival Forge in third.

Tower of Texas breezed five furlongs in :59 1/5 over the turf training track May 27 at Woodbine in preparation for Saturday's test.

"He's come up to this race in great shape. Roger Attfield does a great job with this horse ... with every horse, he's the master," Da Silva said. "This horse is going to run big because he's feeling good. I've worked him the last three times and I could not be more happy."

Juddmonte Farms' homebred Forge, trained by Bill Mott, serves up a record of 3-4-3 from 17 starts with his last victory recorded June 4 last year in an optional claiming tilt at Churchill Downs. By Dubawi, Forge is out of multiple grade 1 winner Heat Haze, and is from the same family that produced such stars as Champs Elysees, Cacicque, Intercontinental, Banks Hill, and Dansili. Luis Contreras has the call.

Chiefswood Stable's homebred Yorkton won three of 10 starts last season for trainer Stuart Simon and will be making his third start off the layoff in Saturday's seven-furlong sprint. The 4-year-old Speightstown  runner finished third in the Sovereign Award voting for champion sprinter thanks to wins in the Queenston, Charlie Barley, and King Corrie Stakes.

Conquest Panthera captured the Play the King Stakes (G2T) over seven furlongs of Woodbine turf last season for trainer Mark Casse and owner Gary Barber. The 6-year-old Kitten's Joy  gelding has won four of 16 career starts and arrives at the Connaught Cup off a second in the Elusive Quality Stakes, a seven-furlong turf sprint at Belmont Park. 

Glen Hill Farm homebred Caribou Club, a 4-year-old City Zip chestnut, will make his Woodbine debut from a winning performance in the Henry S. Clark Stakes at Laurel Park. The well-traveled chestnut also owns wins at Santa Anita Park and Del Mar for trainer Tom Proctor, and will look to make his Canadian debut a first graded stakes win.

Bondurant, Camelot Kitten, and Dimension complete the field of eight. 

Entries: Connaught Cup S. (G2T)

Woodbine, Saturday, June 02, 2018, Race 8

• Grade IIT
• 7f
• Turf
• $175,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 4:57 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Caribou Club (FL)	Gary Boulanger	118	Thomas F. Proctor	8/1
2	2Conquest Panthera (KY)	Patrick Husbands	122	Mark E. Casse	3/1
3	3Tower of Texas (ON)	Eurico Rosa Da Silva	122	Roger L. Attfield	7/2
4	4Bondurant (KY)	Ismael Eluid Mosqueira	116	Ian R. Wilkes	12/1
5	5Camelot Kitten (KY)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	116	Michael J. Maker	6/1
6	6Yorkton (ON)	Steven Ronald Bahen	118	Stuart C. Simon	15/1
7	7Forge (GB)	Luis Contreras	116	William I. Mott	2/1
8	8Dimension (GB)	David Moran	116	Conor Murphy	20/1