International Trainers Head to Toronto for Turf Champions Day This September

Woodbine Racecourse will host Turf Champions Day this Saturday, September 14, featuring four Grade 1 races with a total prize pool of $2.75 million.

Top European trainers, Andrew Balding, Charlie Appleby, Carlos Laffon-Parias and Maurizio Guarnieri will all have runners in Toronto, Ontario race day. The last two winners of the $1m Rogers Woodbine Mile have been won by Godolphin and Charlie Appleby, who is naturally hoping to make it three years in a row with Naval Power. 

Naval Power, a Group 2 winner who was second in two Grade 1s in Kentucky in the spring, will be ridden by William Buick who is flying over to Toronto for Saturday’s card instead of riding at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting. Modern Games (2022) and Masters Of The Sea (2023) won at Woodbine before going on to claim the Breeders’ Cup Turf Mile.

Buick said: “The Woodbine Mile is a competitive race but Naval Power is a horse who has had a bit of a break now and had a good run in Churchill Downs where he just got beat by Program Trading and that was a very good run. Everything will suit him at Woodbine.”

In The 1m2f E.P. Taylor Stakes for fillies and mares, a race that Appleby is yet to win, Cinderella’s Dream looks like a leading contender to break his duck. Having finished 7th in the QIPCO 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in May, she has flourished in two runs in America, winning both the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes and the Grade 2 Saratoga Oaks.

Buick added: “She’s done very well in America and arrives there in good form.”

There are two Grade 1s for 2-year-olds run over the turf mile at Woodbine. The Summer Stakes for colts has attracted a strong field with Al Qudra set to make his first start in North America for Godolphin. Having finished a creditable 5th in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, the son of No Nay Never was an impressive winner of the 7-furlong Listed Pat Eddery Stakes at the end of July when beating the Andrew Balding-trained New Century.

The pair will rematch over 1-mile at Woodbine with Oisin Murphy making the trip to Canada to ride the son of Kameko for Qatar Racing who recently claimed the Stonehenge Stakes at Salisbury.

Andrew Balding said: “New Century has arrived in Canada. It’s a long journey but he’s traveled extremely well. He’s one of those horses with the exactly the right type of attitude and constitution to do some traveling so hopefully he’ll bring his A game to Woodbine on Saturday.”

Balding is looking forward to taking on Al Qudra again, he said: “I think the turning mile should suit him well. Al Qudra was very impressive at Ascot but we have got an extra furlong on Saturday. It was a  smallish field and slightly falsely run race so we’re hoping that a truly run mile will be to our advantage.”

The form of New Century’s latest victory has been boosted by the Charlie Fellowes-trained Luther and Balding is hopeful there is improvement still to come. He said: “He has learned and improved with every run. My feeling is that the Stonehenge was a particularly good performance because he had to make the running in a small field which wasn’t ideal. The form has been franked by Luther.”

Balding is looking forward to having another runner at Woodbine having already enjoyed two Grade 1 victories there, with Phoenix Reach winning the 2003 Canadian International and Blond Me winning the E.P. Taylor Stakes in 2017.

Balding said on Woodbine: “We’ve won the Grade 2 Play The King Stakes, the Canadian International, the  E.P. Taylor and we’ve had a couple of other winners there. So it’s been a happy hunting ground for us over the years!”

In the Natalma Stakes for fillies, Mountain Breeze will line-up in the Godolphin blue. Despite not having won any of her latest three starts, the daughter of Lope De Vega has run with huge credit in some high level contests, including finishing 2nd in the Group 2 Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket’s July Festival.

Charlie Appleby’s Formidable Woodbine Team

• Naval Power: Spearheading Godolphin’s assault in the $1 million Rogers Woodbine Mile
• Cinderella’s Dream: Grade 1-winning filly lines-up in the $750,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes
• Al Qudra: Coventry Stakes 5th and recent Ascot Listed winner steps up to Grade 1 company for the first time in the $500,000 bet365 Summer Stakes
• Mountain Breeze: Duchess Of Cambridge 2nd steps up in trip for the $500,000 Johnnie Walker Natalma Stakes for fillies.

Last year’s hugely impressive Queen Elizabeth II Stakes winner Big Rock will line-up in the Woodbine Mile for trainer Maurizio Guarnieri. Having moved from Christopher Head’s yard over the winter, he has failed to fire in three starts this year but his trainer believes that the best is yet to come.

Guarnieri said: “Big Rock is improving. He had a hard season last year and at two but a lighter year this year has helped. Any rain would be a positive.”

Last year’s three-time Group 1 winning filly Blue Rose Cen will also make her first start in North America for the same connections having also failed to match the heights she hit in 2023 for Christopher Head. She will be joined in the race by the Carlos Laffon-Parias-trained Blush who has won her last three starts including a Group 3 victory in the Darley Prix Chloe over 1m1f. She will be ridden by Oisin Murphy.

Mark McKelvie, Senior Communications Manager at Woodbine, said:

“The quality of entries for this year’s Turf Champions Day at Woodbine is truly exceptional. With strong European contenders joining our top North American talent, we’re set for an exciting day of world-class racing. The presence of Godolphin’s formidable team, led by Charlie Appleby, adds an extra layer of international prestige to Canada’s most lucrative day of racing and we look forward to welcoming racegoers from around the globe.”

Turf Champions Day Highlights

The all-star afternoon features six Graded Stakes races, with four Grade 1 races taking place on the renowned E.P. Taylor Turf Course:

1-mile Rogers Woodbine Mile ($1 million) * 

1m2f E.P. Taylor Stakes ($750,000) for Fillies & Mares 

1-mile bet365 Summer Stakes ($500,000) for Two-Year-Olds*

1-mile Johnnie Walker Natalma Stakes ($500,000) for Two-Year-Old Fillies*

*Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series