Weekend preview: Kastoria has been installed a 9 to 2 third favourite to conquer Toronto tomorrow night and land the $2 million Pattison Canadian International for Curragh trainer John Oxx and jockey Michael Kinane.
The Irish St Leger winner will break from stall two in a 10-runner field that also includes the British trio of Blue Monday, Collier Hill and The Last Drop as well as the likely favourite Go Deputy from the USA.
The latter brings Grade One form from the Sword Dancer Handicap but confidence has been growing in the chances of the Irish mare who has been based at Woodbine for the last six days.
Oxx's assistant, Jim "Slim" O'Neill reported from the track: "She's in great form and every day she has been getting that little bit brighter. The going won't make any difference and she has run a mile and a half well before. Where she fits in all depends on the way the race pans out. She can be put anywhere."
Collier Hill's rider, Dean McKeown, described the turf course at Woodbine as good to soft yesterday although it is expected to dry out over the weekend.
Kastoria, who has been out of the first two only once in her 11- race career to date, will try and become just the sixth filly or mare to win Canada's richest race but Oxx's last visit to the Woodbine course resulted in an EP Taylor victory for Timarida in 1995.
Kinane landed the International four years ago on Aidan O'Brien's Ballingarry and will also be in action on the same card on board the favourite Red Bloom (Michael Stoute) in the Grade One EP Taylor worth $1 million and on the Dandy Nicholls horse Moss Vale in the Grade Two Nearctic Stakes.
The latter has been regularly ridden by Kieren Fallon but he is already in Australia ahead of Yeats' attempt on next month's Melbourne Cup.
Fallon has already provoked headlines in the local press down under and has emphasised his faith in Yeats by describing him as "by far the best horse that has come down here over the years".
Under a headline of "Racing's bad boy eyes top prize," the Sydney Morning Herald reported Fallon as saying: "Dermot Weld won the race twice with horses that wouldn't be near as good as this fellow."
Fallon is unconcerned about the 59-kilogram topweight that Yeats has to carry in the Cup and is ready to put behind him the Irish St Leger where Yeats was upset by Kastoria.
"He felt flat to me that day. He wasn't himself. When I asked him to quicken, he stayed on, where usually he quickens. I think a few of our horses were down on themselves that week. Our very good two-year-old Holy Roman Emperor was beaten the same weekend and then won his next start.
"Yeats has travelled well and settled in nicely but I won't really know much more until I sit on him. But he is looking good," Fallon added.
