Gigantic Breeze Set to Defend Title in Autumn Stakes

Gigantic Breeze and Gamble's Ghost will set out to defend their titles in this year's editions of the Autumn and Maple Leaf stakes, respectively, co-featured in a Nov. 3 Woodbine program, which will have a special post time of 12:20 p.m. ET.

Trained by Alex "Sandy" McPherson for Hopefield Farm, Gigantic Breeze will face eight others in the $175,000 Autumn Stakes (G2) to be run over 1 1/16 miles on the all-weather track.

The 5-year-old Giant's Causeway gelding has been a top contender in his first three graded stakes assignments this year at Woodbine, including a second-place effort in the Aug. 12 Seagram Cup Stakes (G3). From there, he shipped stateside and rallied from the back of an 11-horse field to finish fifth in the mid-September Presque Isle Mile Stakes, a race he won last year before taking the Autumn Stakes.

"He's had a light campaign as far as racing goes," McPherson said. "He's been firing on all eight cylinders all year. He's been good but not really, really good. He's had some physical issues, little things, but we've freshened him up a bit after the trip down to Presque Isle, and he's had two good works. We're just hoping that things will go his way. It helps when things go your way."

With Gigantic Breeze's former jockey, Gary Boulanger, opting to ride the Norm McKnight-trained Decorated Solider, who won the Seagram Cup and Presque Isle Mile, Kazushi Kimura will pick up the mount.

"Gary took off him to ride Norm McKnight's horse, and that proved to be a good decision because he won the (Seagram Cup) and we were second in it, and then the horse went down to Presque Isle and beat us again down there, so he's tough," McPherson said. "He's in good form right now. I saw the horse—we were stabled right beside him—and he looks great. He's a formidable horse, and he's really good right now."

McPherson also tipped his hat to Ricoh Woodbine Mile (G1T) runner-up Mr Havercamp, the 7-5 morning-line favorite from the Catherine Day Phillips stable, and the accomplished Roger Attfield trainees Shakhimat and millionaire Are You Kidding Me, who won back-to-back Autumn Stakes editions in 2015-16.

"It's not an easy race, but we're in it," said McPherson. "It's our last start of the year. We'll freshen up and regroup again and hope to be back for next year. But like I say, it's no easy race. These horses are tough. They're not a bunch of pretenders."

The field also includes Florida Won and Giant Storm, both conditioned by McKnight, as well as a pair of Mark Casse trainees fresh off graded stakes wins at Woodbine, Lookin for Eight and Lookin to Strike.

Gamble's Ghost headlines a field of 11 fillies and mares as the 5-2 morning line favorite in Saturday's co-featured $125,000 Maple Leaf Stakes. The 5-year-old Ghostzapper  mare heads into the 1 1/4-mile event riding a three-race win streak that includes victories in the Trillium (G3), Ontario Matron (G3), and Belle Mahone stakes for trainer Josie Carroll and owner/breeder Ivan Dalos.

She will have top jockey Eurico Rosa da Silva aboard as she tries to repeat in the Maple Leaf from the outside post and add to Dalos' meeting-leading stakes win total of seven.

Entries: Autumn S. (G2)

Woodbine, Saturday, November 03, 2018, Race 8

• Grade II
• 1 1/16m
• All Weather Track
• $175,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 4:32 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Lookin for Eight (KY)	Jerome Lermyte	121	Mark E. Casse	15/1
2	2Florida Won (KY)	Patrick Husbands	117	Norman McKnight	12/1
3	3Gigantic Breeze (ON)	Kazushi Kimura	121	Alexander F. McPherson	12/1
4	4Lookin to Strike (KY)	Jerome Lermyte	118	Mark E. Casse	12/1
5	5Decorated Soldier (KY)	Gary Boulanger	121	Norman McKnight	5/2
6	6Are You Kidding Me (KY)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	123	Roger L. Attfield	9/2
7	7Shakhimat (ON)	Emma-Jayne Wilson	119	Roger L. Attfield	15/1
8	8Giant Storm (KY)	Ademar Santos	117	Norman McKnight	20/1
9	9Mr Havercamp (ON)	Eurico Rosa Da Silva	119	Catherine Day Phillips	7/5