2016 Dominion Day Stakes Preview, Entries & Odds

OffTrackBetting.com - Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario will play host to the Grade 3 Dominion Day Stakes on Canada Day Friday, July 1. Horses three years old and upward will be featured when they take to Woodbine's All Weather Track and race 1 1/4 miles.

A small but salty field of five will give it a go in the Dominion Day Stakes - race 8 on Woodbine's Canada Day Friday card. Post time is 4:52 PM. Here is a glance into the past performances of all five combatants for this Holiday Friday stakes.

2016 Dominion Day Stakes Race Preview at Woodbine Racetrack

Melmich 2-1 - Kevin Attard trained gelding has nine wins, five seconds and two third place finishes in 21 career starts (all at Woodbine) and enters in good form - eight wins and a third in his last 12 starts overall. Last time out was an OK third behind Breaking Lucky in the Grade 2 Eclipse Stakes May 28 after a superb 10 1/4 length win in track record time in the Grade 3 Valedictory Stakes November 29, an Allowance score November 5 and a fourth in his only other graded stakes action to date - the Grade 3 Durham Cup Stakes October 3. He also had a three race win streak before that including the minor OLG Elgin Stakes with a field-best 102 Beyer Speed Figure in September. Melmich will be after his second graded stakes win in his fourth attempt when he leaves from post 5 with Eurico Rosa Da Silva in the irons of thee morning line favorite.

Red Rifle 5-2 - Defending champion in this race - Todd Pletcher trained gelding also won the Grade 2 Bowling Green Handicap August 1 at Saratoga and also had a good second in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga August 29 - he was very good last summer. Red Rifle hasn't been all that great since however - a second last time out in the minor Mountainview Handicap at Penn National June 4 followed a sixth in the Grade 3 Fort Marcy Stakes at Belmont Park in May, an eighth in an Allowance in April and a seventh in the Breeders' Cup Turf. He also posted a terrific win in the Grade 2 Hawthorne Gold Cup in November, 2014 and had an OK second in the Grade 3 Sycamore Stakes at Keeneland October 16 of that year. He now has seven wins, seven seconds and a third place finish in 25 career starts. Red Rifle has certainly shown form in the past but will be after to snap a six race losing streak from the rail. Alan Garcia has been tabbed to ride the second betting choice.

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War Dancer 3-1 - Bill Mott trainee has 26 career starts with five wins, five seconds and four third place finishes. He won the 2013 Grade 2 Virginia Derby and the 2014 Grade 3 Louisville Handicap but took until last time out to post victory again - an Allowance Optional Claiming at Gulfstream Park April 23. Last year's good results include a third in the Grade 3 Arlington Handicap, and a good second in the Grade 2 Dixiana Elkhorn Stakes in April. He did fail to place in his last four starts of 2015 however - a seventh in the Grade 3 WL McKnight Handicap in December followed a fourth in the Grade 3 Red Smith Handicap at Aqueduct November 14, a seventh in the Grade 3 Knickerbocker Stakes at Belmont Park October 10 and a close fourth in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer Stakes August 29. War Dancer has shown form in the past but has placed in just two of his last seven starts overall. He hopes for his first stakes win in 25 months Friday when he leaves from post 3 as the third choice with Edgar Prado in the saddle.

Breaking Lucky 4-1 - raced all three legs of last year's Canadian Triple Crown with mixed results. He won the Prince of Wales Stakes at 13-1 odds at Fort Erie July 28 but also had a ninth in the Breeders' Stakes in August on this track and a fifth in the Queen's Plate here July 5. He enters in the heels of a respectable second in the Grade 2 Eclipse Stakes here May 28 which followed three straight third place finishes - the Grade 3 Ben Ali Stakes at Keeneland April 16, the minor Challenger Stakes at Tampa Bay March 12 and the Grade 3 Ontario Derby here September 20. He has placed in five of his last six starts overall, has two wins, two seconds and three thirds in 11 career starts and looks for his first graded stakes score Saturday. James McAleney gets the call from gate 4.

Scuba 6-1 - Brendan Walsh trained gelding has three wins, four seconds and two third place finishes in 12 career starts and makes his stakes debut Friday. He enters on the heels of three straight runner-up finishes - all Allowance Optional Claiming races with the last two coming at Churchill Downs in May. He has placed in eight straight starts overall and will be after his first win since April, 2015 when he leaves from gate 2 with Luis Contreras aboard.

2016 Dominion Day Stakes Entries & Odds

Race 8 on Woodbine's Friday card with a Post Time of 4:52 PM.