Mr Havercamp Heads Seagram Cup Field at Woodbine

A competitive group of eight runners have been signed up to contest the $125,000 Seagram Cup Stakes (G3) over the all-weather surface at Woodbine Aug. 11. The field of older horses will travel 1 1/16 miles.

Mr Havercamp will take some beating. The Ontario-bred is a superb three-for-four over the course and comes in off a July score in the Forbidden Apple Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga, defeating Qurbaan. Last season he took the Autumn Stakes (G2) over the Woodbine synthetic along with a restricted stakes. The 5-year-old Court Vision  gelding figures to work out a stalking trip from the rail post.

Drawn furthest outside is millionaire Are You Kidding Me, who boasts an excellent 25-10-5-6 record over the Woodbine main track. The 9-year-old won the Dominion Day Stakes (G3) last out at 10 furlongs. He also finished a good third in the Eclipse Stakes (G2) over the layout at the Seagram Cup distance. In last year's edition of the Eclipse, he beat Melmich, who had beaten Are You Kidding Me by a nose in the 2017 Seagram Cup. Are You Kidding Me, too, should be prominent just off the pace.

Special Forces, second to Are You Kidding Me in the Dominion Day, also thrives on this surface, winning three of four tries with one second. He looks to be improving, but doesn't have the early speed of the top two. He's an interesting chance at what should be good value. Revved Up has been competitive in graded events but the deep closer is going to need a pace meltdown here to get the money. He has faced stars such as Heart to Heart and Bricks and Mortar and did defeat Are You Kidding Me in an allowance optional claimer in June at Woodbine.

Mr Ritz will probably set the early tempo but needs to be able to stick around in the final furlong. He has lost leads in each of his past two efforts but could get brave if left alone. Florida Won is the main pace threat to Mr Ritz, and is being stepped up after being claimed for $23,500 last out. He was soundly defeated by Mr Havercamp and Are You Kidding Me last season in the Autumn Stakes. 

Thor's Rocket has a restricted stakes win at seven furlongs over the course but looks to be up against it in open company. Rose's Vision won the Better Talk Now Stakes at Saratoga last year but has regressed badly in his three starts since.

Entries: Seagram Cup S. (G3)

Woodbine, Sunday, August 11, 2019, Race 9

• Grade III
• 1 1/16m
• All Weather Track
• $125,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 5:08 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Mr Havercamp (ON)	Eurico Rosa Da Silva	121	Catherine Day Phillips	1/1
2	2Thor's Rocket (ON)	Justin Stein	119	Paul M. Buttigieg	20/1
3	3Special Forces (KY)	Alan Garcia	119	Kevin Attard	8/1
4	4Florida Won (KY)	Kazushi Kimura	119	Ross Armata	20/1
5	5Mr Ritz (GB)	Patrick Husbands	119	Josie Carroll	10/1
6	6Revved Up (KY)	Jerome Lermyte	119	Mark E. Casse	6/1
7	7Rose's Vision (ON)	Gary Boulanger	119	Stuart C. Simon	20/1
8	8Are You Kidding Me (KY)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	121	Roger L. Attfield	5/2