2016 King Edward Stakes Preview, Entries & Odds

OffTrackBetting.com - The Grade 2 King Edward Stakes will be contested this Saturday, July 2 at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. Horses three years old and upward will be after the winner's share of the $200,000 purse when they take to Woodbine's turf track and race one mile.

Nine older turfers will give it a go in the King Edward Stakes - race 8 on Woodbine's Saturday card. Post time is 4:51 PM. Let's take a peek into the past performances of all nine entries for this interesting Grade 2 stakes.

2016 King Edward Stakes Race Preview at Woodbine Racetrack

Full Mast 2-1 - Bill Mott trained colt has placed in five of six career starts - four wins and a second place finish. He won a Group 1 and a Group 3 race in France in 2014 and was out of racing for eight months before a second in the Group 3 Prix Paul de Moussac in June 2014. He followed that with a seventh in a Group 1 race a month later before being sidelined for another 11 months. Full Mast returned June 5 to an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Belmont Park - in his North American debut. He has been impressive when healthy and looks decent ahead of his graded stakes bow Saturday. Christopher DeCarlo gets the mount on the morning line favorite from gate 2.

Smokem Kitten 5-2 - lightly raced Michael Maker trained colt has five career starts - all at Gulfstream with three wins. He enters off an impressive win in the Grade 3 Miami Mile April 30 which followed an Allowance Optional Claiming score in track record time for the unusual 7 1/2 furlong distance March 20, a seventh in a similar race February 20, a year away from the track and a sixth in his only other stakes action to date - the Grade 3 Dania Beach Stakes January 3, 2015. Smokem Kitten looks for his third straight win overall (second consecutive graded stakes) from gate 3 with Alan Garcia guiding the morning line second choice.

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Tower of Texas 7-2 - defending champion in this race, Roger Attfield trained gelding was last seen running seventh in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile September 13. He also posted wins in an Allowance Optional Claiming May 31, 2015 and an Allowance win May 10 of last year. Tower of Texas had consecutive runner-up finishes last summer before the Woodbine Mile - the Grade 2 Play the King Stakes August 23 and an Allowance July 31 as well. He has three wins and two second place finishes in his last six starts overall and looks to bounce back from his only bad result in over a year. Eurico Rosa Da Silva will guide in Tower of Texas's first race in nine months from post 7 as the third betting choice.

Dimension 8-1 - British bred Dimension posted a win at 10-1 odds with a 102 Beyer Speed Figure in the 2013 Play the King Stakes on this track and was OK after that - a good win in the minor Kentucky Downs Turf Dash September 24, 2014 and a third in the 2014 Grade 3 Play the King Stakes were by far his best results. Dimension had not looked good lately before a terrific win last time out in the Grade 2 Connaught Cup Stakes here June 5. He failed to place in his previous six starts including an eighth in an Allowance April 21, a sixth in an Allowance Optional Claiming in July, a sixth in the 2015 Connaught Cup, a fifth in the minor Elusive Quality Stakes in April, 2015, a tenth in the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile and a twelfth in the 2014 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. Dimension now has 32 career starts with six wins, six seconds and a third place finish and looks to build on by far his best result in 18 months when he leaves from gate 8 with David Moran guiding him.

Commute 12-1 - Mark Casse trained colt has three wins, two seconds and two third place finishes in 13 career starts. He enters off an ugly eighth in the Grade 3 Jaipur Invitational June 11 which followed an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Belmont Park in May, an OK third in the Grade 2 Shakertown Stakes at Keeneland in April and a second in an Allowance Optional Claiming in March. He has placed in three of his last four starts overall and will be chasing his first stakes score from the rail in so-so form. Patrick Husbands rides.

Solemn Tribute 12-1 - Brian Lynch trained gelding was last seen running a disappointing ninth in his graded stakes debut - the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Stakes February 13 which followed a good win in the minor Tropical Park Derby at Gulfstream in December, a second in the minor Showing Up Stakes in October, a third and a win respectively in a pair of Allowance races on this track last summer. Solemn Tribute now has three wins, two seconds and a third place finish in 10 career starts and looked very good before his last start. He looks for a strong bounce back Saturday when he departs from gate 6 with Emma-Jayne Wilson in the reins.

Born in a Breeze 15-1 - has placed in nine of 11 career starts for trainer Mark Frostad - all on this track. He makes his graded stakes debut off consecutive fifth place finishes however - an Allowance Optional Claiming last time out May 22 and the minor New Providence Stakes in April. Before that was a second in the minor Sir Barton Stakes in November and post consecutive wins last summer - the best of which being the minor Vice Regent Stakes so we know he has some speed. Born in a Breeze was good early in his career but hasn't been great lately. He hopes to change all of that from post 9 Saturday with Gary Boulanger in the saddle.

Hammerstein 20-1 - Darwin Branch trained colt has placed in six of nine career starts - three wins, a second and two third place finishes. He makes his graded stakes debut Saturday off an Allowance Optional Claiming score here May 22, a sixth in his only stakes action so far - the minor Jacques Cartier Stakes on this track April 9 and an Allowance score at Tampa Bay in February. He has placed in three of his last four starts and has won two of his last three ahead of his graded stakes debut. He tries to keep the roll going from gate 4 with Jesse Campbell in the irons.

Tesseron 20-1 - defending sixth place finisher in this race, Josie Carroll trainee had a good second in the Grade 3 Grey Stakes on this track in October, 2012 - the only time he's placed in five career graded stakes start. He enters off a fourth in an Allowance Optional Claiming at Churchill Downs May 5 after a seventh in the Grade 2 Ft. Lauderdale Stakes at Gulfstream in January and an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Woodbine November 14. He also had a second in an Allowance Optional Claiming last June 7 and an Allowance score at Keeneland April 18. Tesseron has three wins and two seconds in 14 career starts and has placed in just one of his last four starts overall. Luis Contreras gets the call from post 5 as Tesseron looks for his first graded stakes score.

2016 King Edward Stakes Entries & Odds

Race 8 on Woodbine's Saturday card with a Post Time of 4:51 PM.