Sir Dudley Digges, Amis Gizmo face off in Breeders’ Stakes

The Canadian Triple Crown season is coming to a close as the winners from the first two jewels face off in Sunday’s C$500,000 Breeders’ Stakes.

The final leg of the Canadian Triple Crown will take place on the turf, a surface Queen’s Plate Stakes hero Sir Dudley Digges is already familiar with.

The Mike Maker pupil began his career on the grass, running fifth in his debut at Keeneland last October. He would switch back and forth between turf and main-track events when certain maidens came off the grass for his next six starts.

Sir Dudley Digges finally broke through with an initial victory when taking a grass maiden at Keeneland during the spring meet. The Gio Ponti colt then finished third behind Amis Gizmo in the Plate Trial Stakes while trying Woodbine’s synthetic Polytrack for the first time in his stakes bow.

Sir Dudley Digges showed up ready to run in the Queen’s Plate, upsetting his rival in that 1 1/4-mile affair by a half-length at odds of nearly 16-1.

He was given much more consideration for the second jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown when traveling to Fort Erie for the 1 3/16-mile Prince of Wales Stakes on July 26, but could only manage a sixth-placing, beaten 20 lengths, at 4-1.

Amis Gizmo got his revenge in the Prince of Wales for trainer Josie Carroll, romping home an easy 5 1/2-length winner as the 6-5 favorite. The Giant Gizmo colt has suffered just two losses in his eight-race career, but is trying grass for the first time in this spot.

Robby Albarado has the call on Sir Dudley Digges for the first time while regular rider Luis Contreras returns on Amis Gizmo.

While many will be watching how this go around develops between the Queen’s Plate and Prince of Wales winners, there are nine other entrants in the Breeders’.

Among those nine is Conquest Daddyo, who could give the disbanding Conquest Stables a nice going away present by winning the Canadian classic.

The Scat Daddy colt is 5-2-0-1 on the green, including a last-out triumph in the 1 1/8-mile Toronto Cup at Woodbine. He’ll be stretching out to 1 1/2 miles in the Breeders’ for trainer Mark Casse and keeps jockey Patrick Husbands in the irons.

Rocket Plan did break his maiden on the Polytrack but showed much more life when finishing third in the Toronto Cup in his first grass try most recently. The Plan gelding and regular rider Simon Husbands could get up for part once again here. Leavem in Malibu finished an even sixth in the Queen’s Plate before rallying as the clear second in the Prince of Wales under returning jockey Gary Boulanger. He’s another who could show up in the exotics.

Queen’s Plate fourth Scholar Athlete does boast a win on the green but was no match for turf stakes rivals in the past. Prince of Wales third Niggon’s Edge didn’t show much in his one grass try.

Completing the field are Narrow Escape, who was well-beaten in both the Queen’s Plate and Prince of Wales; Gotta Get Away, who took a turf allowance on July 17; and last-out turf maiden winners Camp Creek and Last Class to Go.

Sir Dudley Digges & Amis Gizmo photo courtesy of WEG/Michael Burns Photography

Play for 1 Million Points on Breeders’ Stakes Day: The 3rd and final leg of the Canadian Triple Crown takes player Sunday, Aug. 21 at Woodbine and we’re giving players a chance to compete for an extra 1 Million TSC Elite Points.