Blockbuster Saturday at Woodbine Includes Four Graded Stakes

Two early stepping-stone races to the Queen’s Plate and Woodbine Oaks and two turf races make up a four-pack of graded stakes races at Woodbine on Saturday, July 2.

The Canada Day long weekend gets underway Friday, July 1 with the Grade 3 Dominion Day Stakes and there is racing on Sunday, July 3.

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The Grade 3 MARINE STAKES and Grade 3 SELENE STAKES are two 1 1/16 mile races on Tapeta that could yield contenders to the Plate (Aug. 21) and Oaks (July 24). Both races are ‘open’ events, with plenty of American-bred invaders.

There are 5 Plate eligibles in the Marine and smaller-scale owners are well represented.

IRONSTONE, third in the Queenston Stakes by just a neck, will stretch out in distance for the second time in his career and will try to conquer a route distance. The son of Mr. Speaker is owned by Adrian Meli’s Tequesta Racing and Jupiter Leasing and the colt was bought for for just $7,000 at the CTHS Ontario yearling sale in 2020. He has won $261,000 including two sprint stakes as a juvenile. William Armata trains.

ALLEGORICAL is owned by Brian O’Leary’s Polo Management Services which races a couple of horses each year. This gelding is trained by Mark Casse and is a son of Giant Gizmo, co-bred by O’Leary. Patrick Husbands rode Allegorical to a neck win in a maiden allowance on June 4 with a 79 Beyer Speed Figure.

RONDURE has attracted a lot of publicity in recent months and he could be favoured in the Marine based his second-place finish in the Queenston. The smallish son of Oxbow is owned and was bred by Borders racing (Hazel Bennett and Harry Dobson) and he has a new rider on Saturday as Rafael Hernandez takes over from Shaun Bridgmohan.

DUKE OF LOVE is owned by the US racing syndicate MyRacehorse and this Cupid colt tries a route distance for the first time. He was fourth in the Queenston for trainer Josie Carroll.

LAC MACAZA, owned by Frank Mermenstein and Elliot Kohn, has three wins in succession going back to last fall. He is a son of Giant Gizmo who was bought back by the owners for $19,000 at the CTHS sale. Julia Carey trains the compact bay colt.

The local boys will have serious competition from Jersey Derby winner Fuerteventura, trained by Jonathan Thomas and recent Woodbine allowance winner Mannix.

The SELENE has just two Oaks eligibles in the eight- horse field, PIONEER’S EDGE, second by a head in the Fury Stakes and recent maiden winner ABSOLUTE JEWEL.

The Grade 2 NASSAU STAKES at 1 mile on turf has sharp invader CRYSTAL CLIFFS (FR) from the Graham Motion barn meeting OUR FLASH DRIVE and LADY SPEIGHTSPEARE.

The Grade 2 HIGHLANDER STAKES at 6 furlongs on turf has a big field of fast runners including last year’s winner SILENT POET, current sprint star ARZAK and classy graded stakes winner BOUND FOR NOWHERE.

FIELD FOR THE $150,000 GRADE 3 MARINE

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Ironstone – Ademar Santos – Willie Armata
2 – Allegorical – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
3 – Unraptured – Antonio Gallardo – Roger Attfield
4 – Rondure – Rafael Hernandez – Katerina Vassilieva
5 – Fuerteventura – Kazushi Kimura – Jonathan Thomas
6 – Duke of Love – Justin Stein – Josie Carroll
7 – Lac Macaza – Luis Contreras – Julia Carey
8 – Mannix (IRE) – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Mark Casse

FIELD FOR THE $150,000 GRADE 3 SELENE

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Absolute Jewel – Daisuke Fukumoto – Michael De Paulo
2 – Pioneer’s Edge – Justin Stein – Josie Carroll
3 – Mrs. Barbara – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse
4 – Ephrata (GB) – Luis Contreras – Josie Carroll
5 – Join the Dance – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Mark Casse
6 – Gizala (IRE) – Dylan Davis – Graham Motion
7 – Souper Hoity Toity – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
8 – Catiche – Kazushi Kimura – Jonathan Thomas

FIELD FOR THE $200,000 GRADE 2 HIGHLANDER

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Turned Aside – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Mark Casse
2 – Voodoo Zip – Dylan Davis – Christophe Clement
3 – Chuck Willis (IRE) – David Moran – Mark Casse
4 – Into the Sunrise – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
5 – Tap It to Win – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse
6 – White Flag – Daisuke Fukumoto – Roger Attfield
7 – Silent Poet – Justin Stein – Nicholas Gonzalez
8 – Elektronic – Eswan Flores – Desmond Maynard
9 – Olympic Runner – Antonio Gallardo – Mark Casse
10 – Bound for Nowhere – Pablo Morales – Wesley Ward
11 – Arzak – Kazushi Kimura – Michael Trombetta

FIELD FOR THE $175,000 GRADE 2 NASSAU

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Peace Seeker – Eswan Flores – Nick Nosowenko
2 – Lady Speightspeare – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Roger Attfield
3 – Plum Ali – Dylan Davis – Christophe Clement
4 – Crystal Cliffs (FR) – Rafael Hernandez – Graham Motion
5 – Lady War Machine – Justin Stein – Josie Carroll
6 – Perseverancia – Daisuke Fukumoto – Darwin Banach
7 – Broadway Lady – Antonio Gallardo – Mark Casse
8 – Our Flash Drive – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
9 – La Libertee – David Moran – Mark Casse
10 – Saratoga Vision – Luis Contreras – Alexander Patykewich
11 – Dreaming of Drew – Kazushi Kimura – Barbara Minshall