2025 Canadian International Stakes Preview

Key takeaways:

• The Canadian International headlines Woodbine Racetrack’s fall turf festival and returns at 1½ miles, this year on the inner course due to renovations.
• Historic winners like Secretariat and Singspiel highlight its legacy as Canada’s premier long-distance turf test.
• Haunted Dream comes off a sharp Singspiel win, loves the course, and gets a better setup third off the layoff.
• Tosen Wish has upside second off the break, gets more pace to chase, and should relish the added furlong.
• Nations Pride, the 2023 winner, brings class and consistency but must prove himself again at 1½ miles on tighter turns.

The Grade 1, $750,000 Canadian International is Woodbine Racetrack’s flagship race for older turf route horses. The race is held annually at 1 ½ miles, usually on the E. P. Taylor turf course. However, that outer turf is being renovated, so the race will be contested over the inner turf course. The race is the anchor of Woodbine Racetrack’s fall turf showcase, which features five graded-stakes races on the lawn over the course of two days.

The race always attracts top-class turf horses to Canada, and this year’s edition is no different. A group of 10 is set to line up in Saturday’s feature led by the classy globetrotter Nations Pride, who won the last edition of this race in 2023 for trainer Charlie Appleby. The top three from the Singspiel (G3), the local prep, return for this race, including Haunted Dream, the winner for trainer Hamid Al-Jahani. Al-Jahani also brings Silawi, a last-out Group 3 winner in England. Some of the most interesting locals include the consistent Ontario-bred My Boy Prince for Mark Casse and Raptor’s, a Casse trainee who is a multiple Group 1 winner in Brazil.

The Canadian International traces its history back to 1938 at the Long Branch Racetrack, though it has only been a turf race since 1958. Over its history, its most important winners include Secretariat (1973), Mac Diarmida (1978), Sky Classic (1991), and Singspiel (1996).

2025 Canadian International Stakes Information

• Race Date: Saturday, October 4, 2025
• Track: Woodbine Racetrack in Etobicoke, Ontario
• Post Time: 5:41 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: 1 ½ miles on the inner turf course
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds and up
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: TVG.com and FanDuel Racing

Canadian International Stakes: Woodbine Draw and Odds

This is the full field for the 2025 edition of the Canadian International Stakes, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds.

Canadian International Stakes Prep Race Results

The 10 horses in the Canadian International come out of seven different races. The only race from which multiple horses come is the Singspiel (G2) on September 6, the local prep race for the Canadian International. Haunted Dreams fared best in that race, rallying from a few lengths off the pace in a field of six and finishing best in the final furlong to win by 1 ½ lengths over Tosen Wish, who rallied from a little further back but was outfinished. Dancin in Da’nile was another half-length back after sitting a bit closer to the pace. Roscar has the most improvement to find, as he battled on the pace but weakened to fifth.

Four others come out of money finishes in group- or graded-stakes races. The only last-out stakes winner other than Haunted Dreams is his stablemate Silawi, who broke through with a frontrunning victory in the Winter Hill (G3) at Royal Windsor on August 23. My Boy Prince was the runner-up in the Woodbine Mile (G1) on September 13 at Woodbine after setting the pace. Tawny Port was also second last out, rallying late into a slow pace in the 1 ½-mile Kentucky Turf Cup (G2) at Kentucky Downs. Nations Pride, a globetrotter, makes his second straight start in North America; he was most recently third in the 1 ½-mile Sword Dancer at Saratoga Race Course, where he made an early move but was caught by a pair, including his winning stablemate El Cordobes.

The other two runners come out of victories in allowance company. Raptor’s stretches out after tracking the pace and taking over in a conditioned one-mile allowance at Colonial Downs on September 12. Lightly-raced English Actor has the most class to prove, as he steps all the way up to the top level after wiring a first-level allowance at 1 1/16 miles on the Woodbine lawn August 29.

Canadian International Stakes Contenders

These are the runners in the 2025 Canadian International Stakes, organized by post position.

1. Haunted Dream: He is one of two in here for Hamad Al-Jehani, a Qatari trainer who is just getting his start on the world stage with some globetrotters for Qatar-based owner Wathnan Racing. His first North American visit went as well as it could have – he sent Haunted Dream to Woodbine to win the 1 ⅜-mile Singspiel on September 6. He did so from the rail under Rafael Hernandez – he gets the same draw and the same rider this time. He will have to prove he can step up an extra furlong and beat a deeper group, but with an in-form local jockey and some further upside to improve third off the lay, Haunted Dream deserves respect.
2. My Boy Prince: This Canada-bred keeps showing up in open company. He most recently took second money in the Woodbine Mile, setting the pace and staying clear of everyone but Charlie Appleby raider Notable Speech. The step up in trip is a serious question. He won the Plate Trial at 1 ⅛ miles against Canada-breds last year, but couldn’t hold the entire 1 ¼ miles of the King’s Plate at that level. He has had another year to mature, but his most potent races have been much shorter. He should be a pace factor, but his presence at the end is far from a guarantee.
3. English Actor: This Rachel Halden trainee has potential on the stretch out, as he is by superstar turf route sire English Channel from a female family full of turf stamina—and even some classy dirt form, as his dam is half to Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Blushing K. D. However, he has yet to face classier company than a first-level allowance and has yet to even try a distance past 1 1/16 miles. He has been able to win from on the pace or just off of it, which are positives, and jockey Patrick Husbands has won many big races at Woodbine. But, he has yet to run a race anywhere near fast enough to compete here, and Halden tends to underperform in graded stakes races.
4. Tawny Port: He had gone off form through the first half of the year, but three back at Monmouth, he started to show signs of life again, and then he ran good second-place finishes in both of his starts during the Kentucky Downs meet. The question about him right now is, more than anything, pace: he used to sit a bit closer to the pace, but hasn’t shown much early speed through this more recent phase of his career. Fortunately, the Canadian International features more early pace than usual for such a long race, meaning he could get a better setup than he has in most races lately. It may not be enough to win—he hasn’t won in over two years—but he has the stamina, and his best could spice up exotics.
5. Roscar: The “A” entrant from the Rachel Halden barn, he seeks his first win since the Breeders’ Stakes last year. The good news is, that race came at 1 ½ miles on the Woodbine lawn. However, that came against horses bred in Canada, but he has yet to find a breakout effort in a graded stakes race. He does have stamina and pace versatility, but it’s hard to find a compelling reason that he’ll suddenly figure it out against this level of company, especially after coming up empty in the local prep.
6. Tosen Wish: Second in the Singspiel, he has to turn the tables on Haunted Dream and face a few quality foes he didn’t meet there. However, this Mark Casse trainee should get a sharper pace than he had to chase in the Singspiel, something that plays in his favor. The 1 ½-mile distance is a question, as he has never gone this far before. However, his pedigree is full of good old-fashioned European turf stamina, and that runner-up effort in the Singspiel was his first start in almost two months. There’s room for improvement, and he should be in the picture at the end.
7. Silawi: The other runner from the Al-Jehani barn, he ships over for his first North American start. He has won at 1 ½ miles before, and horses shipping to North America off of form in group stakes races abroad tend to be good fits for major races here, meaning there’s some promise for Silawi. However, he did wire his race last out, and that’s his usual running style, leaving open the question of whether Silawi is going to be able to keep pace with the North American speed he’ll be contending with in this spot, or if he’s going to be knocked off his game.
8. Raptor’s: A multiple Group 1 winner in Brazil, he was off for a year between mid-2023 and mid-2024 and then needed until this summer at Colonial to find his stride again. He has won two of his three starts this year, however, and the one loss was a neck defeat behind Dripping Gold, a next-out stakes winner. So, it suffices to say that he is in form. He has tactical speed, as well, which should allow him to stay out of a surprisingly likely (for the distance) pace squabble. The question is class, as he does need to take a step up from his recent form to compete. But, those two top-level wins in Brazil in 2023 came at 1 ½ miles, meaning he has some upset potential under Javier Castellano, the only jockey in the field who has won this race before.
9. Dancin in Da’nile: Last time he finished third in the local prep, tracking the pace but ultimately unable to hold off late runs from Haunted Dream and Tosen Wish. He can sit a bit further off the pace if he wants, a positive since the pace should be contested here. However, 1 ½ miles seems to be at the outer limits of his ability to stay. And, trainer Gail Cox is winless in 10 graded-stakes starts over the last three years, with only two of those horses hitting the board. This is a significantly tougher ask than the local prep, and others appeal more.
10. Nations Pride: Charlie Appleby is one of the best in the world at managing globetrotters, and the Canadian International is an eminently logical spot. He will have to prove he can handle a tighter course—when he won this race two years ago, it was run at an abbreviated 1 ¼ miles on the outer turf. This year, it’s back to its usual 1 ½ miles, but it’s on the inner turf due to renovation on the outer course. Nations Pride does have a win at 1 ½ miles before and was a credible third in the Sword Dancer, run at that trip on the Saratoga inner, last out. So, there are suggestions that he can handle this. In the balance, he may be a little better at the 1 ¼-mile distance, but he has the class, and he is versatile enough to run a decent race from just about anywhere off the pace. The question is going to be price: he may get overbet for what he is, but he is too good not to merit some consideration.

Canadian International Stakes: 3 Best Bets

These are the three best bets in the 2025 Canadian International Stakes:

1. Haunted Dream (4-1)

Haunted Dream was trainer Hamad Al-Jehani’s first North American shipper, and he was perfectly spotted. Coming off a good third in a Group 3 at Haydock, he rallied into a slow pace and ran on to win the Singspiel by daylight, proving the class of the field. This race is tougher, especially given the presence of Nations Pride.

But, Haunted Dream has a chance to break through at 1 ½ miles here. He already showed last out that he can handle the inner turf at Woodbine, and he should get even more pace to run at in the lane. He has upside to improve further third off a freshening, he keeps red-hot Woodbine jockey Rafael Hernandez (who just won the Breeders’ Stakes over the same course and distance last week), and he handled the rail draw well enough last time. If he gets a similar kind of trip, with more pace ahead of him, he’ll be even tougher in the final stages.

2. Tosen Wish (15-1)

Tosen Wish missed by a length and a half to Haunted Dream last out in the Singspiel, so he needs to move forward. However, that was his first start after a freshening of almost two months, and his first graded-stakes try on the grass since coming to North America. He tends to take a good step forward second off the layoff, so that bodes well for him to show the improvement he needs.

He should also get a better setup for his off-pace style—the pace in the Singspiel was slow early, but this one should be contested and faster. The question is the mile and an eighth. However, his pedigree is heavily slanted toward stamina on the turf. His effort in the 1 ⅜-mile Singspiel was as good as he has done first off of a break, and if his pedigree is any indication, there could be more to find with the extra furlong.

3. Nations Pride (1-1)

This is a different Canadian International than he won two years ago—1 ½ miles on the inner turf instead of 1 ¼ miles on the outer. That raises a question, since 1 ¼ miles is his best distance. However, he’s not a bad 1 ½-mile type. In fact, he can be very good. He has a win at the distance, and he was third behind his up-and-coming stablemate El Cordobes last out over that distance in the Sword Dancer.

He should be able to stay out of a fight on the lead. And, if the likes of My Boy Prince, English Actor, Silawi, and possibly Roscar don’t get into it as much as their running styles suggest they may, Nations Pride should get the jump on the midpack types. No matter what, he has the class and consistency to be part of the mix—Appleby’s runners always seem to be. And, given the length of the race, it would not be the biggest surprise for Nations Pride’s trip to make him a tough contender.

Canadian International Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the Canadian International Stakes?

A: The Canadian International Stakes happens on Saturday, October 4 at 5:41 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race is carded as the ninth of 11 on the day.

Q: Where is the Canadian International Stakes?

A: The race happens at Woodbine Racetrack in Etobicoke, Ontario. Usually, it is run at one full 1 ½-mile loop around the E. P. Taylor outer turf, but with that being renovated, it is being run at three turns over Woodbine’s inner turf course.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Canadian International Stakes?

A: Four trainers have won the Canadian International Stakes thrice: Gordon J. McCann, Horatio Luro, Maurice Zilber, and Michael Stoute. After Stoute’s retirement in 2024, none of these trainers are active any longer. Among the trainers who have horses entered in the 2025 Canadian International, Charlie Appleby leads with two wins, with Walton Street in 2021 and Nations Pride in 2023. Nations Pride goes for the repeat for him in 2025.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Canadian International Stakes?

A: Nations Pride is the 1-1 morning-line favorite and is expected to hold favoritism to post time: he won this race two years ago, when it was last run, and has continued to show class in major international races. However, watch for action on the Hamid Al-Jehani pair, Haunted Dream (4-1) and Silawi (12-1).

Q: Who is the best Canadian International Stakes jockey?

A: Frankie Dettori leads all riders with four victories in the Canadian International, most recently with Walton Street in 2021. He is still actively riding, but he is at Keeneland on Saturday. Among the jockeys with rides in the Canadian International this year, the only one who has won before is Javier Castellano, who won in 2008 with Neil Drysdale trainee Marsh Side. Castellano has the call with Raptor’s in 2025.

Q: Who won the Canadian International Stakes in 2024?

A: The Canadian International was not run in 2024. The most recent running of the race, which happened in 2023, went to the globetrotter Nations Pride for trainer Charlie Appleby and jockey William Buick. Appleby brings Nations Pride back to Woodbine for the repeat attempt, though Billy Loughnane has the call to ride. (Buick is riding others for Appleby at the Arc meeting at ParisLongchamp.)

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