TORONTO — John Oxley’s Dixie Strike, the emphatic winner of the recent Selene Stakes, has been installed as the 6-5 morning line choice from post six in a field of nine Canadian-bred three-year-old fillies for Sunday’s $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser.
Post time for the 57th edition of the mile and one-eighth filly classic over Woodbine’s Polytrack is 5:17 p.m. ET, with the winner earning $300,000. All fillies carry 121 pounds. Also on Sunday’s card is the $150,000 Plate Trial Stakes, which attracted 11 Canadian-foaled three-year-olds with hopes of competing in Canada’s most famous horse race, the Queen’s Plate, which is being held on June 24 at Woodbine.
The Oaks post position draw took place at noon on Thursday in Woodbine’s east end trackside tent, with freestyle mogul skiing Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion Jennifer Heil as Woodbine’s special guest.
In last year’s Oaks, Donver Stable’s favoured Inglorious, ridden by Luis Contreras and trained by Josie Carroll, prevailed, then three weeks later captured the Queen’s Plate, becoming just the fifth filly to win both classics.
Coincidentally, Dixie Strike is a half-sister to Inglorious, both out of the Smart Strike mare, Noble Strike. Should she win, it would be the first time that half-sisters have won the Oaks. The daughter of Dixie Union, a winner in four of her eight starts, is the field’s leading money winner with $490,260. She’s also the 4-1 Winterbook favourite for the Queen’s Plate.
Trainer Mark Casse and jockey Patrick Husbands will be seeking their third Oaks wins after teaming to take the 2006 renewal with Kimchi and the 2007 edition with Sealy Hill, while owner John Oxley looks for a second Oaks triumph after winning in 1995 with Gal In A Ruckus. Dixie Strike comes off an ultra-impressive score over Sovereign Award winner Tu Endie Wei in the May 13 Selene, when she exploded in early stretch to power her way to a three and three-quarter length score in the mile and one-sixteenth contest.
“We had kind of thought, looking at the race, that there wasn’t a lot of speed,” recalled Casse. “Patrick and I talked about it and decided we were going to lay close (to the pace). Patrick said, when he came away from there (the gate), she just didn’t want to run. So he let her settle back. When he pulled the trigger, she fired. I think he gunned her and she went quicker than he thought she would. So he was kind of stuck with nowhere to go and had to wait before he could tuck down and go inside. I don’t think you can ever expect that kind of effort. You can only hope for it.”
Earlier this year, Dixie Strike opened her season with a victory in the turf Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs, then was f0urth (elevated to third through disqualification) in the Herecomesthebride at Gulfstream Park, before a fifth place finish in the Ashland Stakes at Keeneland, April 7.
Casse will also send out the 5-2 second choice, Northern Passion (post 4), owned by John Oxley as well, along with Melnyk Racing Stables’ lightly-raced but promising Black Bird Rock (post 5), a 12-1 outsider.
To be ridden by Luis Contreras, Northern Passion, a daughter of First Samurai, won her most recent outing, the seven furlong Fury Stakes, April 29 at Woodbine and sports an overall record of three wins and one second in seven outings. Last year, she captured the turf Natalma Stakes before attempting the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, November 4 at Churchill Downs, where she finished a well-beaten seventh to My Miss Aurelia over the main track.
This year, Northern Passion finished fourth to stablemate Dixie Strike in the Florida Oaks, then was sixth (promoted to fifth) in the Herecomesthebride, before returning to Woodbine for the Fury, which she won comfortably by one and three-quarter lengths.
“She’s back to herself. I thought her race in the Fury was very good,” said Casse. “I think she’s on top of her game right now. The distance could be a question. But the one thing about her is she is push button. She won’t go until you ask her to go. So Luis is going to be able to sit back and relax.”
Black Bird Rock, unraced at two, has only made two starts, one a ninth place finish on the turf at Gulfstream Park in March, before breaking her maiden over Woodbine’s Polytrack in late April over one and one-sixteenth miles. The homebred is a daughter of Flower Alley, which owner Eugene Melnyk raced with distinction from 2004-2006, winning the 2005 Travers Stakes, finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and retiring to stud with over $2.5 million in earnings.
Flower Alley, of course, is the sire of I’ll Have Another, who will be trying to win the U.S. Triple Crown June 9 at Belmont Park. She’ll be ridden for the first time by Eurico Rosa da Silva, as she attempts to become the first horse to win the Oaks in only her third career start. She would also join Classy ‘n Smart (1984), Too Late Now (2003) and Eye of the Sphynx (2004) as the only Oaks winners to have not raced as two-year-olds.
“The draw was great. I don’t think you could hand pick it any better,” continued Casse. “I think it will probably ensure that Black Bird Rock will be up there. Last time, she was in the one hole and kind of got shuffled back. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her up on the lead or close to it. I just hope one doesn’t wipe out the other ones (leaving the gate).”
Trainer Mark Frostad, a three-time Oaks winner (Catch The Ring, 2000; Dancethruthedawn, 2001 and Eye of the Sphynx, 2004) will saddle the 6-1 third choice, Irish Mission (post 8), for owner Robert Evans. The daughter of Giant’s Causeway-Misty Mission, to be ridden by Alex Solis, broke her maiden on the grass in her last outing over one mile and three-sixteenths at Keeneland on April 26. Last year, she finished fifth to Rose and Shine in the Princess Elizabeth.
“Her last two races have been really nice efforts,” offered Frostad, of the pair of grass races, a second-place finish at Gulfstream on March 29 and the impressive victory in Kentucky. “She’s started to figure everything out which you can see in her last two races. We always thought we had a good filly and she’s really showing it now.”
Trainer Ralph Biamonte will send out James Sabiston’s Rose and Shine (post 7, 8-1), a daughter of Mr. Sekiguchi, who enjoyed a banner juvenile campaign, winning three of seven starts, including the prestigious Princess Elizabeth Stakes and Muskoka Stakes, while banking $352,320. She’ll be trying to duplicate the feat of Roan Inish, the 2010 Oaks winner who also scored in the Princess Elizabeth as a juvenile.
Awesome Fire (post 3, 20-1), trained by Nick Gonzalez for owner Urban Fire Corp., has two wins in seven starts and most recently was fourth to Northern Passion in the Fury. The daughter of Strong Contender will be handled by Emma-Jayne Wilson, who is the only female rider to win the Queen’s Plate (aboard Mike Fox in 2007) is also seeking to become the first female rider to win the Oaks.
Colebrook Farms’ undefeated Waitinginthewings (post 1, 20-1), a homebred daughter of 2004 Queen’s Plate winner Niigon, will be ridden by Jesse Campbell. Trained by Ashlee Brnjas for her father John Brnjas, Waitinginthewings, unraced at two, debuted on May 2 in a mile and one-sixteenth maiden event and won going away by two lengths, then came back two weeks later to win an allowance contest over the same distance.
Trainer Mike Doyle and owner Windhaven (Bill Graham), who teamed to win the 1989 Oaks with Blondeinamotel, will send out recent maiden winner Horseshoe Hill (post 9, 20-1), a daughter of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, with Justin Stein aboard.
Rounding out the Oaks field and also looking to make history is Bantee (post 2, 20-1), a maiden daughter of Dixieland Band, owned by Jim and Susan Hill. No maiden has ever won the Woodbine Oaks in its 56 previous editions. Trained by Reade Baker, who conditioned 2005 Oaks winner Gold Strike, Bantee, to be ridden by Gerry Olguin, was a disqualified winner of her only outing this year, a six furlong event on May 5.
The Woodbine Oaks is the first leg in the filly Triple Tiara, followed by the mile and one-sixteenth $250,000 Bison City Stakes, July 1, and the mile and one-quarter, $250,000 Wonder Where Stakes, July 29 on the turf, both also at Woodbine. Only Sealy Hill in 2007 has captured the Triple Tiara.
The record time for the mile and one-eighth Oaks is 1:48 4/5 seconds, set by Square Angel in 1973. Regent Miss ($345.80) in 1981 is the longest-priced winner while champion Dance Smartly produced the lowest win payoff ($2.10) in 1991. The largest winning margin in the race’s history was Avowal’s 13-length tally in 1982.
Eight of the last nine Oaks winners have gone on to earn Sovereign Awards as Canada’s top three-year-old filly. Also, mutuel favourites have won 30 of 56 (53.6 per cent) Oaks, the last being Inglorious in 2011.
The 69th running of the Plate Trial Stakes, at one and one-eighth miles, is headed by Donver Stable’s Beeker Street, winner of the Queenston Stakes for trainer Josie Carroll. Donver Stable and Carroll combined to win last year’s Oaks and Plate with Inglorious. Bill Sorokolit’s Classic Bryce, runner-up to Strait of Dover in the recent Marine, has also been entered.
Meanwhile, trainer Danny Vella will skip the Trial with his runaway Marine winner and just train his hopeful up to the June 24 Plate.
Twenty-five Plate Trial winners have gone on to win the ‘Gallop for the Guineas’, including three of the last four – Not Bourbon in 2008, Eye of the Leopard in 2009 and Big Red Mike in 2010.
FIELD FOR THE WOODBINE OAKS, PRESENTED BY BUDWEISER
PP/HORSE/OWNER/TRAINER/JOCKEY/M-L
1/Waitinginthewings/Colebrook Farms/Ashlee Brnjas/Jesse Campbell/20-1
2/Bantee/Jim and Susan Hill/Reade Baker/Gerry Olguin/20-1
3/Awesome Fire/Urban Fire Corp./Nick Gonzalez/Emma-Jayne Wilson/20-1
4/Northern Passion/John Oxley/Mark Casse/Luis Contreras/5-2
5/Black Bird Rock/Melnyk Racing Stables Inc./Mark Casse/Eurico Rosa da Silva/12-1
6/Dixie Strike/John Oxley/Mark Casse/Patrick Husbands/6-5
7/Rose and Shine/James Sabiston/Ralph Biamonte/Omar Moreno/8-1
8/Irish Mission/Robert Evans/Mark Frostad/Alex Solis/6-1
9/Horseshoe Hill/Windhaven/Mike Doyle/Justin Stein/20-1
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A field of 11 line up for Sunday’s Plate Trial
TORONTO, May 31 – Beeker Street, who bravely held off Making Amends in the Queenston Stakes last time out, headlines a field of eleven Canadian-bred three-year-olds in Sunday’s $150,000 Plate Trial Stakes, at Woodbine.
The dark bay son of Belong to Me-Carah Five, owned and bred by Donver Stable, is a perfect two-for-two in his brief career and has been training lights out for the Plate Trial with a pair of recent bullet works, including a five-panel breeze in :59.80 on May 28.
Trained by Josie Carroll and ridden by Patrick Husbands, Beeker Street made all the fractions in the seven-furlong Queenston, cutting out a quarter in :23.89 and a half in :46.88, en route to a head victory in 1:23.23 over a rallying Making Amends. Beeker Street earned a Beyer Speed figure of 79 for his efforts.
The mile and one-eighth Plate Trial, in which all horses carry 126 pounds, goes postward at 4:42 pm and will be televised live on CBC-TV as part of a special one-hour telecast, highlighted by the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser, the premier race in the country for Canadian-bred three-year-old fillies, at 5:17 pm.
Twenty-five Trial winners have won the Queen’s Plate, including three of the last four — a streak started by Not Bourbon in 2008, continued by Eye of the Leopard in 2009, with Big Red Mike completing the hat trick in 2010. The 2011 Queen’s Plate winner, Inglorious, took her path to the Plate via a stunning score in the Woodbine Oaks.
Joining Beeker Street and Making Amends in the Trial from the talented Queenston field are the fourth-, fifth- and seventh-place finishers Menlo Castle, Peyton and Dead On.
Incredicat, who won the Wando Stakes on April 21, is expected to provide a pace presence in the Trial. The chestnut colt, trained by Ian Black, will look to rebound from a sixth-place finish in the Marine Stakes held on May 12, when he led to three-quarters before fading in a race won impressively by Strait of Dover.
Strait of Dover, the dark bay son of English Channel-Bahrain Star, owned and bred by British Columbia’s Canyon Farms, will skip the Trial and go straight to the Queen’s Plate. The Dan Vella trainee has crossed the wire first in all four of his Polytrack efforts at Woodbine (he was placed third in his local debut by disqualification) since shipping to Toronto from Hastings Park, in Vancouver.
Classic Bryce, who finished second to Strait of Dover in the Marine, along with Big Creek, Perfect Tay, Drago’s Best and River Rush completes the field.
$150,000 Plate Trial Stakes, One Mile and One Eighth, Sunday, June 3
Post Time 4:42 pm
Post Position/Horse/Trainer/Jockey/Morning Line
1 / Incredicat / Alex Solis / Ian Black
2 / Dead On / Todd Kabel / Malcolm Pierce
3 / Classic Bryce / Luis Contreras / Darwin Banach
4 / Peyton / Justin Stein / Mike Doyle
5 / Big Creek / Emma-Jayne Wilson / Todd Pletcher
6 / Beeker Street / Patrick Husbands / Josie Carroll
7 / Menlo Castle / Omar Moreno / Ralph Biamonte
8 / Making Amends / Eurico Rosa Da Silva / Mark Casse
9 / Drago’s Best / Tyler Pizarro / Josie Carroll
10 / Perfect Tay / Gerry Olguin / Lorne Richards
11 / River Rush / Jim McAleney / Reade Baker