Paramount Prince Tops Cold Exacta Play in Durham Cup

2023 King’s Plate S. victor #5 Paramount Prince (1-5) received the outside post for the $135,000 Durham Cup S. (G3) at Woodbine on Saturday, and the in-form gelding will be impossible to upend if he fires his best shot in the 1 1/16-mile event over the Tapeta. Trained by Mark Casse, the four-year-old endured a sharp sophomore campaign with a pair of stakes wins and a good third in the Prince of Wales S., but the chestnut might be even better this season.

Durham Cup Wager

• $30 exacta 5 with 4 ($30)

The son of Society’s Chairman is 3-for-4 in 2024 and comes off of dominant victories in the Dominion Day S. (G3) and Seagram Cup S. (G2) this summer, and he hinted that he will run another big one following a bullet five-furlong morning drill last week. Ontario-bred has compiled a 9-5-2-2 lifetime line on the course, he is the pace of the race, and Paramount Prince will have no traffic from the outside in the five-horse contingent as well. Regular rider Patrick Husbands will be in the stirrups and sending the star to the front from the opening bell. 

For value, I will give #4 Rapid Test (20-1) a chance to finish second under Emma-Jayne Wilson. Trained by Catherine Day Phillips, the gelding capped his three-year-old season with a pair of fine stakes tries (one a victory), but he has been slow to build off of that this year. The son of Souper Speedy has been more interested in the early going of his attempts in two straight since having blinkers added, and the bay was game in toppling allowance foes on the green most recently, too. 

Rapid Test has posted a trio of solid half-mile drills in advance of Saturday and I expect him to sit off of a lively early tempo to the top of the lane. If the Ontario-bred does improve like I expect him to, then the four-year-old will be challenging for the place spot at the wire at a big number for top connections.