Former Queen's Plate winner Midnight Aria takes on stakes competition Sunday in the $200,000 Autumn Stakes at Woodbine for the first time since scoring in last year's opening race of the Canadian Triple Crown.
Trained by Nick Gonzalez for Tucci Stables, Midnight Aria will start the 1 1/16-mile stakes from post 5 in the six-horse field on Woodbine's synthetic main track. The 4-year-old colt, making his third start of the year, is 9-2 in the morning line and will have his regular rider Jesse Campbell in the saddle.
Midnight Aria won the 2013 Queen's Plate by a half-length as a 16-1 longshot over favorites Up With the Birds and Dynamic Sky. That was his last race of 2013 a year in which he won twice with a second and five thirds for $663,699.
The front-running 4-year-old came back on Aug. 8 in a turf race at Woodbine in which he finished last of six, beaten 25 lengths. On Sept. 28 the colt led the entire way on the main track to post a neck victory in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race.
Here is the field for the Autumn Stakes from the rail out: Alpha Bettor, Justin Stein, 6-1; Lukes Alley, Luis Contreras, 6-5; War Correspondent, Patrick Husbands, 5-1; Eirigh, Eurico Rosa da Silva, 12-1; Midnight Aria, Jesse Campbell, 9-2 and Are You Kidding Me, David Moran, 7-2.
Post time for the Autumn Stakes will be approximately 4:27 p.m. ET.
[SportsNetwork.com]
