Irish-bred DIABOLIC, who won two stakes races as a juvenile at Woodbine from three local starts in 2021, will be heavily favoured to win the 67th running of the $125,000 Star Shoot Stakes on April 30. The Star Shoot, named after a top stallion of the 190os and sire of Triple Crown winner Sir Barton, is at six furlongs on the Tapeta and is race 8 on the 10-race Woodbine card.
There are six fillies entered in the Star Shoot, which has, in its past, spawned Woodbine Oaks winners. The last Star Shoot winner to come back and take the Oaks was Milwaukee Appeal in 2009. This year’s field has just one Canadian-bred filly entered, Aubrieta, owned by Conrad Farm.
Diabolic, a $116,317 yearling purchase by D J Stable (Leonard Green) at the 2020 Goffs Orby sale, won her debut at Gulfstream Park in May 2021 for trainer Mark Casse. She came to Woodbine in July and won the My Dear Stakes on Tapeta despite being fractious in the gate and breaking a bit slowly. The grey gal came right back and won the 6 1/2 furlong Catch a Glimpse Stakes on turf with a 78 Beyer Speed Figure.
Her final race of 2021 came in the Grade 1 Natalma Stakes at one mile and after a big, very wide move from off the pace to second-place on the turn, she stalled and landed fifth. The winner of the Natalma, Wild Beauty, recently won the Group 3 Dubai Duty Free Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury. Runner-up in the Natalma, came back to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and was recently a close second in the Memories of Silver Stakes at Keeneland.
Diabolic (Dark Angel (Ire) – Seafront (GB) by Foxwedge (Aus)) has been preparing at Casse Training Centre in Ocala and has two bullet workouts at Woodbine in April. Her regular rider Antonio Gallardo will be on board.
There are three fillies from the Casse team in the Star Shoot (Aubrieta and Beautiful Empire). Aubrieta won the Glorious Song Stakes last year with a smart 80 Beyer Figure. Beautiful Empire won an allowance race on April 16 at Woodbine for owner John Oxley. American trainer Michael Trombetta, who trained last year’s Star Shoot winner Can’t Buy Love, will start Howdyoumarkeurmoney (Freud), and another US trainer, Wesley Ward, who won the 2020 Star Shoot with Owlette, has sent up the two-time winner Parlance (Maclean’s Music) and stakes winner Miss Alacrity (Munnings).
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