Veteran Cruden Bay Back for More in King Edward

Veteran runner Cruden Bay, who came into last year's King Edward Stakes (G2T) in similar fashion following a victory in the Connaught Cup Stakes (G2T), will look to improve upon his 2024 fifth-place finish and come home with the trophy Aug. 16 at Woodbine. The King Edward is one of six stakes on the Saturday card, highlighted by the King's Plate Stakes and the E. P. Taylor Stakes (G1). Michael Lay's 7-year-old gelding is listed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite in his quest to put together back-to-back graded stakes wins over the Woodbine turf. Cruden Bay, the 124-pound high weight in the mile contest for older horses, topped his performance in the 2024 Connaught Cup with a rallying 1 1/2-length score July 20 under jockey Fraser Aebly. The son of Big Screen netted a 104 Equibase Speed Figure. Aebly climbs back aboard Cruden Bay for trainer Donald MacRae. Piper's Factor, a troubled third in the Connaught, returns in the King Edward. The Chiefswood Stables homebred has been winless since capturing the Toronto Cup Stakes at Woodbine last summer. The Mark Casse-trained War Strategy looks to be the lone speed of the race in a field lacking much early pace. A multiple allowance winner, the War Front gelding makes his stakes debut while stretching out in trip for owners Quintessential Racing Florida and Paul Haddad. Pietro Moran will ride War Strategy as his regular rider, Sahin Civaci, takes the mount on the other Casse entrant, Lucky Score. Two-time Woodbine graded stakes winner Dresden Row is also among the field, and cuts back in trip after finishing second as the favorite to Swift Delivery in the Aug. 2 Seagram Cup Stakes (G3) over the synthetic main track. Victory Achieved Eyes First Stakes Win in Bold Venture The 6 1/2-furlong Bold Venture Stakes (G3) could mark the coming-out party for the Casse-trained Victory Achieved on King's Plate Saturday. A homebred for Live Oak Plantation, Victory Achieved may be one of the youngest and most lightly raced horses in the field, but also sports a sparkling 111 Equibase Speed Figure sprinting over the Woodbine strip. That career-best number was achieved last fall when the son of Street Sense handily defeated Bold Venture favorite Simcoe by 2 1/4 lengths in a second-level allowance optional claimer Nov. 24. Victory Achieved has only run once since that win, fading to finish fifth in a distance beyond his scope in the 1 1/16-mile, off-the-turf Sunshine Turf Stakes at Gulfstream Park in January. Patrick Husbands gets back on the 4-year-old in his return to sprinting. Casse will also saddle the proven graded stakes winner Ice Chocolat (BRZ) in the Bold Venture. Eighth in his only start this year in the March 29 Appleton Stakes, the speedy Brazilian-bred gelding has never won over the Woodbine synthetic but did drop a nose defeat to Flag Of Honour (AUS) in the 2023 Kennedy Road Stakes (G2).