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E.P. Taylor, Nearctic come up contentious

Mahbooba is visiting her fifth continent (Andrew Watkins/Dubai Racing Club) The two Grade 1 events on Sunday's Canadian International undercard, the C$1 million E.P. Taylor and the C$500,000 Nearctic, both lured highly-competitive fields. Both also have Breeders' Cup implications, for the Filly & Mare Turf and Turf Sprint, respectively. But the similarities end there. While European shippers account for eight of 11 distaffers entered in the 1 1/4-mile E.P. Taylor, only three Europeans have signed on for the six-furlong Nearctic. Trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre, whose Reggane posted a 10-1 upset in last year's E.P. Taylor, returns with the progressive Adventure Seeker. Since her debut victory in March, the Wildenstein homebred has held her own in tough company. Her sharp efforts include a second to Galikova, Goldikova's half-sister, in the Group 3 Prix Cleopatre and a very close fourth in a blanket finish in the Group 2 Prix de Malleret. Finishing fifth that day was Danedream, the eventual Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner.

Back from her midsummer break, Adventure Seeker broke through with an up-in-time success in the Prix de Liancourt. The chestnut keeps Christophe Soumillon aboard for her first Grade 1 tilt, and rates as a sleeper at 10-1. She aims to win over the same course as her granddam, Hall of Famer All Along, who took the Rothmans (now Canadian) International during her Horse of the Year campaign in 1983.

Also shipping in from France is Dream Peace, the 3-1 morning-line favorite, who is out of 1994 E.P. Taylor winner Truly a Dream. The Robert Collet filly has been admirably consistent this season and enters off a career high in the Group 2 Prix de la Nonette. This is a stiffer test still for Dream Peace, who will have Gerald Mosse back in the irons.

The well-traveled Mahbooba jets in for the ever-dangerous Mike de Kock. Bred in Australia, she ranked as South Africa's champion two-year-old filly, and turned in four strong performances in Dubai last winter. Mahbooba has continued her campaign in England, where she just slammed males by six lengths in the Godolphin Stakes at Newmarket. Jamie Spencer picks up the mount aboard the top-class bay, who could be bound for the Hong Kong International Day program.

Strawberrydaiquiri scored her signature win in the 2010 Windsor Forest at Royal Ascot (Frank Sorge/Horsephotos.com) Two contestants were last seen in the Group 1 Sun Chariot over a mile at Newmarket, the respective third and fourth Strawberrydaiquiri and I'm a Dreamer. Group 2 winner Strawberrydaiquiri appears to be rounding into form for new trainer Brian Meehan. Usually campaigned at a mile to nine furlongs, the gray was a useful fourth in the 2010 Group 1 Nassau in her only prior attempt at this distance. The top two that day were Midday and Stacelita, suggesting that Strawberrydaiquiri has a winning chance with Martin Dwyer. I'm a Dreamer has gone the wrong way since her 4 1/2-length romp in the Group 3 Dahlia in her reappearance. The David Simcock mare might have begun to turn the corner in the Sun Chariot, however, and could be the type to benefit most from first-time Lasix. In contrast, Dahlia runner-up Sea of Heartbreak has improved over the season. A troubled second to Group 1 queen Timepiece in the Warwickshire Oaks, she has finished third against males in the Group 3 Arc Trial and captured the Group 2 Prix de Royallieu in her last pair. This might be a tad short of her ideal distance, but she's got Garrett Gomez in her corner.

Laughing, a half-sister to former Hong Kong superstar Viva Pataca, will be making only her fifth career start. The Charles O'Brien trainee has not raced since just getting up in a five-way scrum in the June 9 Nijinsky Stakes at Leopardstown. Then owned by Mrs. John Magnier, she has since been purchased by Richard Santulli, and looks more like a traveling companion for Nearctic threat Bewitched. English shipper Kinky Afro's only highlight this campaign was a third to the smart Emulous and Lolly for Dolly in the Group 3 Ridgewood Pearl, and she'd need to step up dramatically to factor.

Reigning Canadian champion turf female Miss Keller hasn't hit the board since her runner-up finish in the 2010 E.P. Taylor. On the other hand, the Roger Attfield mare has been closing well in her recent races and training sharply of late, and could relish the opportunity to get back up to 1 1/4 miles. Her stablemate Mekong Melody is likewise aiming to turn things around.

The lone American-based hopeful is Dyna Waltz from the Jonathan Sheppard barn. Winless since taking last year's Oaks Trial at Lingfield, the Augustin Stable homebred has garnered runner-up honors in the Grade 3 Gallorette Handicap, Grade 3 All Along and the Omnibus in her latest. Julien Leparoux has the riding assignment.

Although the Europeans have fewer guns in the Nearctic, one of them is the 3-1 morning-line favorite, Bated Breath. Trainer Roger Charlton has thought quite a lot of this Juddmonte Farms homebred, and he's come agonizingly close in a pair of Group 1 tests at home. Both times, Bated Breath was robbed late by Dream Ahead, who dished out the same heartbreaking treatment to Goldikova last time out in the Group 1 Prix de la Foret.

Finally getting away from his bete noire here, Bated Breath was handed post 11 in the 13-horse field. Gomez, who rides stablemate Sea of Heartbreak in the E.P. Taylor, will try to improve his luck.

British invader Hitchens was third to Dream Ahead and Bated Breath in the Group 1 July Cup, but only ninth behind the same pair in the Group 1 Haydock Sprint Cup.

Regally Ready captured the Twin Spires Turf Sprint at the site of the Breeders' Cup (Matt Wooley/EquiSport Photos) The Irish-based filly Bewitched was the favorite in the Group 1 Golden Jubilee at Royal Ascot this summer, only to pull a muscle in running and wind up 14th. She has since collected her fourth Group 3 trophy -- all at the expense of males -- and was most recently fourth to Dream Ahead and Goldikova in the Foret. Joel Rosario has been tapped to ride the legitimate 8-1 shot. The Christophe Clement-trained Right One cuts back in trip off a bang-up third in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile, where he was beaten a scant neck. Two starts ago, he denied Yield Bogey in the Grade 3, seven-furlong Jaipur. The 4-1 second choice reunites with Leparoux, who rode him to victory in his U.S. debut in April. Riding the River is another exiting a solid performance in the Woodbine Mile, threatening in midstretch before tiring to fifth. He previously missed in the Grade 2 Play the King here to Havelock, subsequent winner of Keeneland's Grade 3 Woodford. Last year's Nearctic second and third, Grand Adventure and Fatal Bullet, are back as outsiders. Both prepped in eerily similar fashion to 2010. Grand Adventure, Canada's reigning champion turf horse, tired to ninth in the Woodbine Mile last time. Former Canadian Horse of the Year Fatal Bullet was a near-miss third in the Play the King, just ahead of Gypsy Ring.

Regally Ready had won four in a row earlier this season for Steve Asmussen, capped by the Grade 3 San Simeon Handicap and the Grade 3 Twin Spires Turf Sprint. The gelding dropped his last two since returning from a summer holiday, but would be a prime contender if back to his best.

Not to be overlooked are three with good form over this same course and distance -- Signature Red and Fiddlers Patriot were separated by a nose in the Grade 2 Highlander on Queen's Plate Day, and the filly Jenny's So Great overcame traffic trouble to go last to first in the Grade 3 Royal North.

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