The Canadians are Coming, The Canadians are Coming!

The Canadians have captured the airport! We have got to get organized! Just don’t panic! The Canadians have landed! Hide the women and children! We haven’t got a chance! This could be World War III! OK, maybe I’m overstating things just a little bit, but in looking over the past performances of Saturday’s Grade 1 Alabama, I fear for the chances of our poor, little American fillies against the Canadian invasion. With Rachel Alexandra skipping the race to run against the boys, Milwaukee Appeal and Careless Jewel are now the horses to beat in one of America’s most important races for 3-year-old fillies. Both fillies are based in Canada and have crossed our unprotected border to pillage. Milwaukee Appeal is an Ontario bred daughter of the long-winded Milwaukee Brew. She is seasoned and has experience over a distance of ground. After an easy score in the Woodbine Oaks, Milwaukee Appeal went right in to the deep water. With any luck she could well have won the first two legs of Canada’s triple crown against colts. In the Queen’s Plate, she appeared to be the best, but was a tough luck 3rd that day beaten just a neck. She followed that performance with a head-bobbing nose defeat in the Prince of Wales which showed both her toughness and her affinity for a dirt track. Save her only turf try and Milwaukee Appeal has fired every shot. If she does again and is not adversely affected by her tough Summer campaign, she is the one the other fillies will have to beat. The Canadian based Careless Jewel is a beautiful white, gray daughter of Tapit. Tapit is one of my favorite new sires and this one has the potential to be every bit as good as the champion Stardom Bound, who is also from Tapit’s first crop. Careless Jewel made mincemeat of her opponents with two straight at Woodbine in just her second and third career starts. Impressive, yes, but could she do that against American stakes horses? Again the answer was yes, as the Josie Carroll trained miss dominated the field in the Grade 2 Delaware Oaks. The stretch-out from 1 1/16 miles to 10 furlongs is a question, but she has appeared to appreciate the move to two turns and should be the one to catch in the lane. Throw in the Ontario bred Wynning Ride, who was only beaten ¾ of a length in the Coaching Club Oaks when 3rd to Alabama entrants Funny Moon and Don’t Forget Gil, and you have the makings for the worst beating by the Canadians since the 2002 Winter Olympics Ice Hockey Gold Medal Game. Once they are done, I have no doubt that they will take their booty right back to Canada for the entire country to bask in, or worse yet, they may stay here and force us to speak Canadian.