The 70th edition of the STAR SHOOT STAKES for three-year-old fillies on Saturday, April 26, headlines the opening day card for Woodbine’s 70th Thoroughbred season and the field should be a good one.
Of course, the Star Shoot is often termed as an initial prep for local fillies for the Woodbine Oaks, run in late July, but the Star Shoot is an open race and it tends to attract some speedy American fillies. In fact, only three Canadian-breds have won the race in the last 20 years.
However, eight Star Shoot winner have gone on to later win the Oaks, the most recent being MILWAUKEE APPEAL in 2009.
The storylines to this year’s Star Shoot, worth $125,000, begin with the fact that both Mark Casse and Josie Carroll have several three-year-old fillies nominated to the Star Shoot.
As of this writing, the undefeated BOURBON MEMORY will not be coming to Woodbine and will instead race at Churchill Downs.
Casse, coming off a record-breaking year at Woodbine with 33 stakes wins, has several Canadian-bred Woodbine Oaks hopefuls pointing to the Star Shoot including D.J. Stables’ pair of WINTERBERRY and SHIFTY. Both gals were bred by Anderson Farms and both won stakes races at Woodbine last year. Both fillies are also nominated to Sunday’s Woodstock Stakes against the boys and that race drew just 16 nominations. Another Oaks hopeful trained by Casse is Ontario-sired SOUPER SUPREME, a sprinting stakes winner last year.
WINTERBERRY (Frosted) has put up a litany of sizzling workout times from a 46.80 at the Ocala Training Center in March to a 47.80 at Woodbine.
Carroll has nominated her own filly DOLCE FORTUNA, a debut winner last year for the trainer and the Di Scola Boys. Carroll also trains 2024 debut winner MADAME OBEY, who is nominated for Mark Dodson.
One filly that Carroll is planning to run is LNJ Foxwoods’ RARIFIED (Ire), a dark bay by Caravaggio who was second three times in four races in France last spring. Rarified made her career debut last year on this same day, April 26, and missed by a nose.
The Woodstock Stakes on Sunday will have the fast MANSETTI, winner of the Clarendon Stakes, in the lineup against CHURCH AND STATE and others.
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