Sealy Hill seeks to defend home turf in E.P. Taylor

SEALY HILL (Point Given), the first filly ever to sweep Canada's Triple

Tiara, will try to turn back a formidable European invasion in Sunday's C$1

million E.P. Taylor S. (Can-G1) at Woodbine. The grassy 1 1/4-mile contest is the distaffers'

counterpart to the Canadian International S. (Can-G1) later on the card.

Successful in the Bourbonette Breeders' Cup S. (G3) over Turfway's Polytrack

in March, Sealy Hill didn't show her true ability when 12th to Rags to Riches (A.P.

Indy) in the muddy Kentucky Oaks (G1). The dark bay filly rebounded back in

Canada, rolling to a 4 1/4-length tally in the Woodbine Oaks to claim the

opening jewel of the Triple Tiara for Canadian-breds. She crossed the finish

line first in the next leg, the Bison City S., only to be disqualified for

alleged interference. That controversial ruling was later reversed on appeal,

and Sealy Hill was reinstated as the winner. The Mark Casse filly made her turf

debut in the third leg of the series, the Wonder Where S. at this course and

distance, and stormed home from well off the pace to win going away by 2 1/4

lengths.

Sealy Hill then tackled older distaffers for the first time in the about

nine-furlong Canadian S. (Can-G2), and she delivered a powerful late charge to

fall a neck shy of catching the loose-on-the-lead ESSENTIAL EDGE (Storm Cat).

The added ground of the E.P. Taylor should help the cause of the leading local

hope, who offers value at 6-1 on the morning line. Regular rider Patrick

Husbands will guide Sealy Hill from post 3.

The top two choices on the morning line are a pair of European sophomores,

MRS. LINDSAY (Theatrical [Ire]) and FOUR SINS (Ger) (Sinndar). Mrs. Lindsay

boasts the better form of the two, propelling her into 2-1 favoritism. Runner-up

to West Wind (Machiavellian) in the Prix de Diane (French Oaks) (Fr-G1), the

Francois Rohaut trainee is coming off a career-best performance to capture the

Prix Vermeille (Fr-G1). On that occasion, Mrs. Lindsay launched an early move

and held off all challengers, including West Wind and the Breeders' Cup Filly &

Mare Turf (G1)-bound Passage of Time (Dansili [GB]). Johnny Murtagh will try to

engineer another heady ride from post 4 on Sunday.

The Aga Khan's Four Sins, the 4-1 second choice, should also be forwardly

placed in the early going. The John Oxx pupil was a convincing winner of the

Blue Wind S. (Ire-G3) in May, and last time out, she battled gamely to earn a

photo-finish decision in the Blandford S. (Ire-G2). Four Sins hasn't fared as

well in elite company, winding up a distant fourth in the Epsom Oaks (Eng-G1)

and seventh in the Irish Oaks (Ire-G1). The bay, who has drawn post 5, will

reunite with Mick Kinane.

Although the three-year-old caucus is strong, the older generation is also

well represented in the 10-horse field. Multiple Grade 1-placed BARANCELLA (Fr)

(Acatenango), who finally broke through with her first stakes score in the

recent Fairway Flyer S., will take her third swing at the E.P. Taylor for Bobby

Frankel. The Gary Tanaka colorbearer was fourth in 2005 and second in 2006, and

if her improving pattern holds true this year, Barancella will be tough to beat.

Horseman Todd Pletcher will send out Argentinean champion and multiple Grade

2 winner SAFARI QUEEN (Arg) (Lode). While the five-year-old chestnut merits

respect on the basis of her early-season form, she is exiting a pair of unplaced

efforts and has questions to answer here. Also crossing the border is multiple

Grade 2-placed HOSTESS (Chester House), who was a rapidly closing fourth in the

Flower Bowl Invitational S. (G1) in her latest venture.

ELLE RUNAWAY (El Prado [Ire]), a 20-1 outsider, will lead the post parade

beneath Eddie Castro. Next will come THE NIAGARA QUEEN (Langfuhr), Emma-Jayne

Wilson, 30-1; Sealy Hill; Mrs. Lindsay; Four Sins; SANS SOUCI ISLAND (Chester

House), Mike Smith, 30-1; Safari Queen, John Velazquez, 9-2; Essential Edge,

Jono Jones, 15-1; Hostess, Channing Hill, 12-1; and Barancella, Javier

Castellano, 6-1.

Rounding out the day's stakes action is the C$500,000

Nearctic

S. (Can-G2) for sprinters scrambling six furlongs on the turf. Highlander S.

(Can-G3) hero SMART ENOUGH (Horse Chestnut [SAf]) rates as the 2-1 morning-line

favorite. The John Fisher charge is currently riding a two-race winning streak,

a course record-setting score in the Turf Monster H. at Philadelphia Park and an

up-in-time rally in the Thomas Edison S. at Meadowlands. Chris DeCarlo takes the

call.

Among his seven rivals are HEROS  REWARD (Partner's Hero), who was

runner-up to Smart Enough in both the Highlander and the Turf Monster; two-time

Jaipur S. (G3) king ECCLESIASTIC (Pulpit), coming off a third in the Kentucky

Cup Turf Dash S.; Grade 3 victor MOTH BALL (GB) (Royal Applause [GB]), most

recently second in the Blue Jay Way S. at Oak Tree; and English invader DARK

MISSILE (GB) (Nigh Shift), the winner of the valuable Wokingham H. at Royal

Ascot and a near-misser in the Diadem S. (Eng-G2) last time out.