La Sardane to Take on Boys in Play the King

Looking to secure her third straight stakes win and fourth overall victory this season, Team Valor International's La Sardane will be the lone filly in the field when she headlines the $175,000 Play the King Stakes (G2T) Aug. 25 at Woodbine. 

Since arriving in the States from her native France to start her 4-year-old season, La Sardane has given her connections little reason to complain. A consummate turf runner and group 2 winner of the Prix de Sandringham at Chantilly, the filly's only misstep was a 10th-place finish in her first out of the year. That glitch aside, the daughter of Kingsalsa has settled for nothing less than perfect. 

In May, La Sardane executed a textbook stalking trip in a 1 1/16-mile optional-claiming allowance race at Churchill Downs, taking command in the stretch to draw clear and win by 1 3/4 lengths. She followed that effort with a step up in class to the Intercontinental Stakes (G3T) where, despite being bumped at the start, she fought her way to the front to edge the leader by a neck. 

In perhaps her most impressive start in the U.S yet, La Sardane went nearly gate-to-wire in the one-mile Perfect Sting Stakes at Belmont Park, fending off two late challengers to prevail by a half-length. 

Stepping up to graded company once more, La Sardane will try to keep the win streak alive in the seven-furlong Play the King Stakes—her first start in Canada, where she is set to break from the rail under jockey Florent Geroux. 

Joining her in the field will be Live Oak Plantation's Holding Gold. A winner of last year's Shakertown Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland, Holding Gold has struggled of late to find repeat success. 

The 5-year-old Florida-bred started the year on a high note with a first-place finish in the Colonel Power Overnight Stakes before shipping next to Dubai, where he finished seventh in the Al Quoz Sprint Sponsored By Azizi Developments (G1). Back at Belmont by June, the Mark Casse trainee has been unsuccessful in three subsequent graded starts, although he did place third in the June 30 Highlander Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine.

Holding Gold will run as the highweight in Saturday's race and break from post 8. Jockey Patrick Husbands will partner. 

Seeking their first graded victory is Sean and Dorothy Fitzhenry's 4-year-old Mr Havercamp, who has won five of his eight starts and has three stakes victories, and Eight Star Racing Stables' Vanish, who enters the Play the King off a pair of wins over the Woodbine turf. The 4-year-old gelding has never finished worse than fourth in six starts at Woodbine.