TORONTO -- If you don't win the first jewel of Canada's Triple Crown, try the third.

That's the attitude of trainers of three horses -- Smart Sky, D's Wando and Vicar Street -- who finished far back in the Queen's Plate but are resurfacing as long shots in today's $500,000 Breeders' Stakes at Woodbine.

After Smart Sky finished seventh, 10 1/4 lengths behind Big Red Mike in the July 4 Plate, trainer Mike Doyle said he "kind of backed off and freshened him up" for an attack at the Breeders'.

The bay colt is 15-1 on the morning line under regular rider Chantal Sutherland, who will try to become the second female jockey (after Laurie Gulas on Free Vacation in 1999) to win the 1 1/2-mile turf race.

"In the Plate, the way things went, there was no pace. It never was any good for him," said Doyle, who thinks the son of Sky Mesa will fare better on the grass than on Woodbine's Polytrack surface.

"He ran once in Florida on the grass [last February at Gulfstream] and ran a pretty good race. He was nowhere, [finishing seventh of 12] but got beat by about 4 1/2 lengths and got in a lot of trouble," Doyle said.

Ian Black, who trains Stormy Lord -- the 2-1 morning line favorite -- also has entered D's Wando, who finished last of 13 in the Plate. Black also thinks his colt, who gets a new rider in Jono Jones, is more suited to grass.

"He ran two good races in the spring and then he disappointed in the [June 13] Plate Trial [seventh of eight] and the Plate," Black said.

"He had one start on the turf [fourth to Stormy Lord in the July 24 Toronto Cup], which was a better effort, and he worked real well [5 furlongs on the turf training track in 59 seconds last Sunday]. I definitely thing he's a better grass horse," Black said. "Wando [his sire] won [the 2003 Breeders'] at a mile and a half, so hopefully he can get that far on the turf."

Vicar Street, unraced since running 12th in the Plate, is trained by Catherine Day-Phillips, winner of back-to-back Breeders' in 2004 (A Bit O'Gold) and 2005 (Jambalaya).

Her chestnut gelding gets a new rider in Patrick Husbands who, like Jones, is looking for his fourth Breeders' victory.

With Big Red Mike pointing for the Sept. 25 Ontario Derby at Woodbine and Golden Moka, winner of the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie, aiming for the Travers Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 28, this will be the sixth straight year with three different winners in the Triple Crown series for 3-year-olds foaled in Canada.

Wando, the sire of D's Wando and filly Silent Wisper in today's race, swept the series in 2003. Wando was the seventh Triple Crown winner since the series was formally organized in 1959.

rsummers@buffnews.comnull