Pattison Canadian International – GI

Purse $750.00 – For Three Year Olds And Upward – 1 1/2 Miles – Turf

Woodbine – October 3, 2026

Marathon turf runners will be competing for a healthy purse this Saturday at Woodbine in the 19th running of the Pattison Canadian International! This stakes will be the final Grade One event of the meet and will feature three-year-olds all the way up to a nine-year-old. Its purse rose from $1,667.00 in 2006 to a high of $2,000.00, but has since fallen as low as $600.00 and now stands at $750.00 in 2026. The distance briefly changed to a mile and a quarter for one edition before returning to the usual mile and a half. Bronze Saber made the Pattison Canadian International his own, winning three straight editions for Maverick Racing from 2010 through 2012. That streak accounts for all three of the stable’s victories, the most by any owner in the race’s history. The stakes record was set all the way back in 2009 when Snippets went wire-to-wire under jockey Victor Espinoza and stopped the clock in 2:23.21. That time also still stands as the 1 1/2 mile track record on the grass at Woodbine. There are plenty of accomplished runners to go through this year, so let’s take a closer look at each of them!

1. Charlie Jace – (Mb Stables, R E. Eramia) The first Mb runner has won four of seven starts this year, with graded victories on both dirt and turf. He spent most of this season on dirt, winning the Ali (G3), Gold Cup (G2), and Suburban (G2) before finishing third in the Whitney (G1). Charlie Jace then returned to the grass for the 1½-mile KD Turf Cup (G2) last time out , where he rallied from sixth to score by a length. It was his first turf start in more than a year, but the surface switch was no gamble—this Ontario-bred’s earlier grass wins include the Station (G3) and Hollywood Derby (G1). The son of Soviet Warrior has now won four of eight career turf starts and his latest victory showed he can carry that form over a longer distance. With his recent success and proven Grade 1 class, this will be my top pick.

2. Decentralized – (Gdp Inc, W T. Buick) Decentralized makes a quick turnaround for his new owner after Gdp Inc purchased him from Lanfranco Stable for $160.00 on September 22. He has been very consistent in 2026, finishing in the top three in four of five starts and winning twice. This gelding’s first victory of the year came on the grass at Fair Grounds in March, when he pulled away to win a 1 1/16-mile N2X allowance by three lengths. He followed that with a runner-up finish in an N1X and a third at Penn before switching to dirt at Monmouth last time out. There, the son of Crypto Investor moved up from fifth to score by three-quarters of a length. Decentralized has two wins, two seconds, and three thirds from nine turf starts, so a return to the surface should suit him. The big question is the distance and class level.

3. Boss Spearman – (John Henry, A E. Birzer) This gelding built his reputation on dirt last year, winning the Arkansas Derby (G1) and finishing second in the Kentucky Derby. Boss Spearman moved to the grass this season and immediately held his own against graded company by getting third in the Diarmida (G2) before winning the 1½-mile Pan American (G3) by a nose. He followed that with thirds in the BEL Gold Cup (G2) and Bowling Green (G2), beaten just a length in each race. Those efforts showed that this West Virginia-bred could stay the distance and compete with established turf runners. His seventh-place finish in the DMR Handicap (G2) last time out was his first off-the-board result in five grass starts. If Boss Spearman returns to the form he showed earlier in the season, he has a chance to rebound here.

4. Tom Kha Gai – (High Voltage, A A. Gallardo) Comes in here off his strongest stretch of the year, with two graded victories and a narrow Grade 1 defeat in his last three starts. Tom Kha Gai got up by a nose in the Dinner Party (G3) at Laurel back in May, then rallied from eighth to win the Bowling Green (G2) by a length. Last time out, he stretched back out to 1½ miles for a Grade 1 at SAR and fell just a head short of victory. The distance is well within his range—this California-bred also won the 1½-mile San Luis Rey (G3) last year. The son of Just You Wait has spent nearly his entire career on the grass, winning seven of 37 turf starts, and his recent results show he remains a force at six. After coming so close last time, Tom Kha Gai has a strong chance to claim the Grade 1 win that eluded him in August.

5. Buffalo G – (Nakamura Stables, F H. Da Silva) Buffalo G brings plenty of experience, with 21 wins from 65 career starts and 18 victories on the grass. This nine-year-old opened this season with a win in the 1¼-mile San Marcos (G3), but he has not found the winner’s circle in six starts since. He was seventh in the 1½-mile San Luis Rey (G3) in March, then finished second and third in a pair of allowance races before taking fourth in the Connaught Cup (G2). This Ontario-bred’s latest start came at a much shorter six furlongs in the KD Turf Sprint (G2), where he got 13th. A return to a longer race gives a better opportunity to show the form that made him a graded winner. Buffalo G will need to turn around his recent results, but his lifetime record shows he has been competitive in this kind of company.

6. Shin Lim – (Threshold, R A. Vazquez) This three-year-old is the youngest of the contenders we have covered so far and has only made seven career starts, all on turf. He broke his maiden at Turf Paradise in February, then won a 1 1/16-mile starter allowance on soft ground at Gulfstream in March. After more than five months away, Shin Lim was sold by Riggins Racing to Threshold for $5.00 on August 30 and returned in the Old Dominion (G3) at Colonial. He finished fifth in that first graded attempt, though he was only two lengths behind the winner. The son of Magical Sunset’s two wins this year clearly show progress, and the close margin in his latest start gives his new owner something to build on. Still, he has never raced beyond 1⅛ miles, so the longer trip and taking on stronger company will be tough.

7. Dangerous Fugitive – (Night Rider Stables, D. Nelson) Dangerous Fugitive returns to the Pattison Canadian International after finishing second by three-quarters of a length in last year’s edition. He set the pace for much of that 1½-mile race before being caught late, giving him proven form over this course and distance. This gelding has two more wins at 1½ miles this season, taking the San Luis Rey (G3) in March and the BEL Gold Cup (G2). He has not been quite as effective in three starts since, getting fourth in the Bowling Green (G2), sixth in the Clement Turf (G1), and fifth in the KD Turf Cup (G2). In that latest race, Dangerous Fugitive improved from tenth early but finished four lengths behind Charlie Jace. He has repeatedly shown he can handle this distance, but a step up will be needed.

8. Lunar Artist – (Nakamura Stables, I. Castillo) Nakamura Stables’ second entrant is a much less experienced runner than Buffalo G, but Lunar Artist has improved sharply in his last two starts. After racing on dirt in his first three outings, he tried turf at Lone Star in June and finished eighth. Connections gelded him soon afterward, then returned to win a one-mile N1X by four lengths in July. In the Gun Runner at Kentucky Downs last time out, this California-bred came from ninth in a field of 14 to finish second by just a quarter length. That was his first stakes appearance and his most encouraging performance yet. Lunar Artist has raced only six times, with two wins and two seconds, so there may be more improvement ahead. He now faces a major test against older Grade 1 company while stretching beyond a mile for the first time.

9. Reign Supreme – (Mb Stables, P. Moran) Another dangerous entry from the Mb barn who has put together an outstanding three-year-old season, winning six of nine starts and finishing in the top three every time. Reign Supreme’s graded wins began with the American Turf (G1) and PEN Mile (G3) in May. After getting second in the BEL Derby (G1), he captured the SAR Derby (G1) by a length in August. This son of People Pleaser then rallied from seventh to win the 1 5/16-mile Nashville Derby (G2) at Kentucky Downs, the same day stablemate Charlie Jace won the KD Turf Cup. That was Reign Supreme’s fourth graded victory of the year and his longest winning effort so far. This gelding’s consistency and ability to finish strongly make him a top contender, though this will be his first try at the longer distance against older horses.

10. Duke Of Love – (Mo Mentum Farm, D. Moran) Mo Mentum Farm’s homebred has taken a step forward this year after going winless in ten starts in 2025. Duke Of Love put together three straight allowance victories from April through June, winning on dirt at Keeneland before taking two turf races at Woodbine. He was particularly impressive in the second of those WO wins, leading throughout and pulling clear by four lengths. The move into graded company two back brought an eighth in the Fourstardave Handicap (G1), although he was beaten only one length. The son of Fairfield Road then stretched out to 1½ miles in the KD Turf Cup (G2) last time out and rallied from 13th to finish fourth, three lengths behind Charlie Jace. That late run was encouraging at this distance, and Duke Of Love has now won three of 13 turf starts.

11. Sausage Wiz – (Night Rider Stables, J J. Castellano) Second entrant for Night Rider Stables has climbed quickly through the ranks since being claimed from Family Racing for $8.00 in January. Sausage Wiz won a maiden claiming race next time out at TAM, then added another claiming victory at Santa Anita in April. He followed that with runner-up finishes in a Churchill allowance and the Saranac before stepping into Grade 1 company for the SAR Derby. There, this Louisiana-bred finished third, only a length behind fellow contender Reign Supreme. The pair met again in the 1 5/16-mile Nashville Derby (G2), but Sausage Wiz could manage only 11th, beaten five lengths. That result raises a question about the longer trip he faces here, though his earlier graded effort showed he can compete with high-quality three-year-olds.

– AJM

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES