An intriguing field of 10 3-year-old fillies will race for the bulk of the $100,000 purse of the Alywow Stakes on July 9 at Woodbine, the lone stakes race on the weekend of racing.
The Alywow Stakes is named for the talented turf performer who was Canada’s Horse of the Year in 1994 for owner Kinghaven Farms and trainer Roger Attfield. Alywow was also the first ever winner over the E.P. Taylor turf course when she won the Canadian Stakes in 1994. She was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2009.
There are numerous shippers in this year’s edition of the stakes race including GAL IN A RUSH from the Christophe Clement Stable. A daughter of Ghostzapper, Gal in a Rush was second in the Grade 3 Matron Stakes last fall at Belmont, a six-furlong turf sprint that went in 1:07.60.
Locally-based LOYALTY, trained by Josie Carroll for Gainesway Farm and LNL Foxwoods, is unbeaten in two Tapeta sprints and the daughter of Hard Spun will try turf for the first time.
Ontario-bred MARIE MACKAY, winner of the Shady Well Stakes last year, makes her first start since December and she has been working in bullets for her return for trainer Dan Vella. Marie Mackay has lots of grass breeding and and will likely be on the pace.
Dual hall of fame trainer Mark Casse has three chances to net his fifth Alywow Stakes victory with Adversity, Diabolic (IRE) and Lemieux. Casse has won four editions of the Alywow with Road to Victory (2018), Mississippi Delta (2015), Dene Court (2012) and Silky Smooth (2007).
Bred in New York by Chester and Mary Broman, Adversity will be making her sixth career start and first appearance at Woodbine.
The daughter of Arrogate-Artemis Agrotera is a two-time winner, including a maiden-breaking score last September over a sloppy main strip at Saratoga.
Owned by D.J. Stable LLC, Adversity arrives at the Alywow off a fourth to Sterling Silver in the Bouwerie Stakes at Belmont on May 30.
“She’s a really well-bred filly,” said Casse. “We’ve been running her in New York. She has a great pedigree and we’re looking for a place to get her some black type. Those [her two wins] were very nice. I ran her on the grass in her first start and we’re going to throw that one out and say she was a little confused. She came back and worked really nice on the grass (4 furlongs, breezing, in :48.40, on July 3 at Woodbine).”
Diabolic (IRE), a three-time winner from five starts, will chase her third stakes title on Saturday. The daughter of Dark Angel (IRE)-Seafront (GB) took the 2021 editions of the My Dear Stakes, at 5 ½ panels over the Woodbine Tapeta, and the 6 ½-furlong Catch a Glimpse Stakes, contested on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.
Owned by D.J. Stable LLC and Nexus Racing Club, Diabolic, who concluded her rookie campaign with a fifth in the Grade 1 turf Natalma Stakes, finished third in her three-year-old debut, the 6-furlong Star Shoot Stakes on April 30.
“Obviously, she’s a nice filly, and I thought she ran really well in that first start back this year. She’s training well and she should be tough.”
Bred in Florida by Westbury Stables LLC, Lemieux will also test out the Woodbine turf for the first time in her career. The Alywow will mark the sixth straight stakes engagement for the daughter of Nyquist-Polish a Diamond, who has two wins and two seconds from eight lifetime starts.
Also owned by D.J. Stable LLC, Lemieux broke her maiden in her third start, a seven-furlong main track race, originally scheduled for the turf, at Saratoga last August.
“The one that is kind of the dark horse is Lemieux. She trains like a really good horse and has shown, on some occasions, real ability. She’s been hit or miss, but she’s training really well coming up to the race.”
-with files from Woodbine media
$100,000 Alywow Stakes
Post-Horse-Jockey-Trainer
1 – Diabolic (IRE) – Antonio Gallardo – Mark Casse
2 – Lemieux – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Mark Casse
3 – Majestic d’Oro – Rafael Hernandez – Brendan Walsh
4 – Marie MacKay – Justin Stein – Daniel Vella
5 – Gal in a Rush – Kazushi Kimura – Christophe Clement
6 – Breathing Fire – Keveh Nicholls – Sid Attard
7 – Howdyoumakeurmoney – Patrick Husbands – Michael Trombetta
8 – Adversity – Antonio Gallardo – Mark Casse
9 – From Above – Skye Chernetz – Bonnie Eshelman
10 – Loyalty – Luis Contreras – Josie Carroll
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