Eleven 3-year-olds will vie for a CA$200,000 prize in the Aug. 24 Canadian Derby (G3) at Century Mile Racetrack and Casino. The field is headed by Western Canadian star sophomores August Rain and Classy City in the 1 1/4-mile main-track contest.
Classy City enters Saturday a perfect 2-for-2 at Century Mile for trainer Craig Robert Smith following a late-rallying victory in the July 19 Count Lathum Handicap over the opposing Itsallgoodman and Skipper's Pride. The Kentucky-bred son of Classic Empire will be ridden back by Rasheed Hughes, who also partnered the colt to a win in the Western Canada Handicap in June in his Canadian debut.
In between Classy City's two wins, however, he was soundly defeated by Peter Redekop B.C.'s August Rain in the Chris Loseth Handicap July 6 at Hastings Racecourse. The Sungold gelding, trained by Barbara Heads, has never raced outside of Hastings in his nine starts to date. A consistent performer, only out of the money once, he and jockey Amadeo Perez depart British Colombia in hopes of conquering their foes in Alberta.
Awesome Road, winless in his last seven starts after breaking his maiden last summer at Ellis Park, will look to return to form for trainer Robertino Diodoro. The $600,000 son of Quality Road was recently gelded before his last start, a troubled sixth-place effort in the Aug. 5 Manitoba Derby.
Century Mile Racetrack and Casino, Saturday, August 24, 2024, Race 12Entries: Canadian Derby (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Roussette (KY) Rafael Zenteno Jr. 126 Lee Delaronde 10/1 2 2J Dutton (CA) Antonio Ambrosio Reyes 126 Robert J. Anderson 8/1 3 3McEwen (FL) Renaldo Cumberbatch 126 Shelley Brown 20/1 4 4Classy City (KY) Rasheed Hughes 126 Craig Robert Smith 7/2 5 5Skipper's Pride (IN) Kyle Carter 126 Karline Kingston 6/1 6 6Lord of Battle (KY) Enrique Alonzo Gonzalez 126 Milton Palma 30/1 7 7August Rain (BC) Amadeo Perez 126 Barbara Heads 5/2 8 8Awesome Road (KY) Dane Nelson 126 Robertino Diodoro 3/1 9 9Shining Tiger (CA) Jarelle Beckles 126 James R. Brown 30/1 10 10Northern Force (BC) Jose Mariano Asencio 126 Robert VanOverschot 20/1 11 11Itsallgoodman (AB) Keishan Balgobin 126 Gonzalo Anderson 15/1
