Canadian classic heros Coltimus Prime, Ami's Holiday square off in Ontario Derby

Canadian classic heroes Coltimus Prime, Ami's Holiday

square off in Ontario Derby

On July 29, making just his second career start on dirt,

the dark bay colt put together the biggest performance of his career to capture the

Prince of Wales Stakes, second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, at

Fort Erie. Sent to post at odds of 5-1, Coltimus Prime, with Eurico

Rosa da Silva in the irons for the first time, made every pole a winning one,

covering 1 3/16-miles in 1:54 2/5.

"It was the biggest moment of my career," Nixon stated.

"Coming into the stretch, and looking at the fractions, I thought we had a

pretty good chance to win it and when he kicked on it was awful special. He was

just dynamite."

Following the Prince of Wales coup, Nixon shipped Coltimus

Prime to Saratoga with big aspirations.

"We were thinking of running in the Travers," the horseman clarified. "We brought him

down there and worked him over the track and he just didn't work as sharp as we

would like him to, so we backed away from that plan and came home."

Since his return to Woodbine, Coltimus Prime has breezed

twice over the Woodbine Polytrack, including a swift five-panel effort in 1:00

2/5 on

September 14 with da Silva aboard. That sharp work matches nicely with a bullet

work recorded by Coltimus Prime on July 22, just before his big effort in the

Prince of Wales.

"It's a graded stake and one of the better races remaining

for straight three-year-olds across North America," Nixon remarked. "It would mean a lot for Mr.

Horner to get a big piece of it given that he still owns the mare (Certainly

Special) and it would also help his half-sister Crysta's Court in the breeding

shed as well."

To earn that special victory, Coltimus Prime will have to

fend off the closing kick of Ami's Holiday, who made a breakthrough of his own

when taking Woodbine's Breeders' Stakes, the third leg of the Canadian Triple

Crown, in his first attempt on turf.

The Ivan Dalos homebred became a graded winner in October

with a last-to-first rally to win the Grey Stakes and opened his sophomore

campaign with a fourth-place run in the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland on April

19. The bay son of Harlan's Holiday then returned to Woodbine, where he narrowly

missed in the Marine Stakes when a neck third after lacking racing room in the

final strides.

Trained by Josie Carroll, Ami's Holiday put in a

peak performance in the Queen's Plate, rallying from 13th position out of the

difficult 15 post, to be second behind filly Lexie Lou. He continued

his good form in the Prince of Wales, once again rallying while wide for show money as the favorite, before

putting forth a sharp turn of foot down the lane to his turf coup in the Breeders'.

Ami's Holiday has posted a trio of quick works following

the Breeders', including a September 14 move of 1:00 3/5 for five furlongs. Luis Contreras retains the mount.

Also featured on Sunday's card is the $125,000

La Lorgnette, a 1 1/16-mile Polytrack stakes for three-year-old fillies.

The strong

eight-horse field is led by Bison City heroine Unspurned and Grade 2 vixen Llanarmon.

Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com