Kaigun faces 10 in Woodbine Mile; Lexie Lou, The Pizza Man head undercard stakes

Sunday's Grade 1, $1 million

Woodbine

Mile has drawn a competitive field of 11, including 5-2 morning line

favorite Kaigun. The 18th edition of the premier grass race serves as a "Win and

You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Mile.

The Toronto track will also offer the the Grade 2, $300,000

Canadian,

with Queen's Plate winner Lexie Lou taking on elders at about nine furlongs on

turf; and the Grade 1, $300,000

Northern Dancer, which features the surging The Pizza Man over 12 grassy

furlongs.

Kaigun has displayed marked improvement at age four for trainer Mark Casse,

recording Grade 1 runner-up finishes in the Maker's Mark Mile and Manhattan

before earning his first stakes victory in the August 10 Play the King at

Woodbine. The gelded son of Northern Afleet cut back to seven furlongs last time

in the Play the King following a close fifth as the favorite in the July 6

United Nations.

"I was worried about cutting him back from a mile and three-eighths to

seven-eighths," Casse said of the distance change from the United Nations to the

Play the King. "I thought he was very impressive. I think probably he might be a

better miler but it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. He can do

anything.

"He is just the absolute model of consistency," Lynch said of the

five-year-old son of Arch. "That (Fourstardave) was a tough one to lose. He gave

everything he had and fought right to the wire. That's what you love to see in a

horse, one that won't give up at any point.

"And he was just superb in the King Edward, too. The bigger the race, the

bigger the effort you get from him."

Grand Arch has registered triple-digit BRIS Speed ratings in his last two

starts and will keep David Moran in the saddle.

Leading U.S. trainer Todd Pletcher will be represented by Jack Milton, an

improving son of War Front who finished only a length back when third in the

Fourstardave. Listed as the 7-2 second choice, the four-year-old colt posted a

convincing score in the Grade 3 Poker three starts back over the turf at Belmont

Park and top U.S. jockey Javier Castellano will be in for the mount.

Solid Appeal, last year's champion turf female in Canada, is a top contender.

The five-year-old mare earned her third Grade 2 victory on Woodbine's turf when

capturing the May 25 Nassau two starts back and exits a fifth, beaten two

lengths, in the Grade 1 Diana at Saratoga. She'll carry the top impost of 121

pounds and Jesse Campbell will be up for Reade Baker.

Deceptive Vision also can't be dismissed from consideration. A four-year-old

daughter of A.P. Indy, the Malcolm Pierce runner finished a nose second as the

favorite in the Dance Smartly last out. Eurico Da Silva has the call.

In the Northern Dancer, The Pizza Man ships north with a five-race win streak

in tow. The Illinois-bred gelding captured his last two starts of 2013 and

opened this year with a stakes victory over restricted rivals in June. The

front-runner then stepped up to captured the Grade 3 Star and Stripes on July 12

and followed with an excellent performance in the August 16 American St. Leger,

registering a one-length tally over a quality group of rivals in the 1

11/16-mile endurance test.