King’s Plate winner CAITLINHERGRTNESS had a victorious return to the races as a four-year-old on May 31, a big stakes day at Woodbine, winning the Grade 3 Belle Mahone Stakes at 1 1/16 miles for WinStar Farm and trainer Kevin Attard. The 2024 Champion three-year-old filly had been burning up the main track in her workouts this spring and certainly was very ready to go as she met older gals for the first time.
Under Rafael Hernandez, Caitlinghergrtness wound up sitting pretty early in the race, stalking in third behind the duelers For Flying (Brz) and Dana’s Beauty, both invaders from the US. While the daughter of Omaha Beach had not raced since a fourth in the Maple Leaf Stakes at Woodbine late last year, she was gleaming in the post parade and looked razor sharp.
Once Hernandez angled her out off the rail to make her move into the stretch, the race was essentially over. Caitlinhergrtness took off on her way to a five-length win in 1:42.26 on a very windy and cold day at Woodbine. For Flying, making her first start since last fall for trainer Graham Motion, held second over a charging Ready for Shirl, trained by Roger Attfield.
Attard, who also sent out Champion Older Mare Fashionably Fab in the Belle Mahone (raced wide and off the pace before ending up fifth) said Caitlinhergrtness arrived back in his barn this year from WinStar a more developed filly.
“I was a little more nervous with her, just because she had been working so fast, and we were making a conscious effort trying to slow her down in the mornings. She came into us early in the year from WinStar, just looking like a different animal. She matured so much, she filled out, she grew and, you know, it all transpired onto the racetrack.
“She was just working that much faster and just doing everything so easy, but the times were quick, and I was worried she might be a little rank, but the race set up perfectly. Raffie did a good job with her, and she showed why she’s a champion.”
Bred by Jesse Korona of Toronto, who sold the filly for $65,000 as a weanling, Caitlinehergrtness was a $160,000 yearling and then a $375,000 purchase by Maverick racing and Siena Farms from the 2023 Ocala April two-year-old sale. She has four wins from 10 starts and over $780,000 in earnings.
The Grade 3 Royal North Stakes at 6 1/2 furlong on the grass for fillies and mares was expected to be another special moment for the fleet Earhart (Ire), the grey gal who was unbeaten at Woodbine and coming off a cantering win in the Whimsical Stakes (G3) on Tapeta on May 3. Trained by Josie Carroll for LNJ Foxwoods, Earhart had won three of her four races when unchallenged, but in her first grass race in the Royal North, was outrun early when invader Toupie was sent hard to the lead and reeled off splits of 22.11 and 44.49. Earhart chased in third, but into the stretch the grey gal, who had glided up to the lead, soon came under attack.
Ready to Jam, at 12-to-1, grabbed the lead in early stretch and looked to be on her way to the win for trainer Mark Casse until 70-to-1 shot MS. TART, claimed for $35,000 this January at Gulfstream, flew past.
Ridden by Huber Villa-Gomez and trained by Kevin Rice for Nathan McCauley, Ms. Tart left the Royal North field in shambles, picking up her sixth win and first stakes win. The daughter of Maximus Mischief – Sheza Sweet Lemon, by Lemon Drop Kid, won by half a length in 1:15.56. It was her fourth start on grass and second win. She had been to Woodbine for the Whimsical and finished a distant third behind Earhart.
McCauley, who operates River Oak Farm, has some 100 horses and got big in racing as a pinhooker after he left the auto business about nine years ago. Keen on picking up mares with some racing ability and pedigree, he scooped up Ms. Tart from a narrow win at Gulfstream in a route race on Tapeta and won two straight with her in short Tapeta races in Florida.
Rice races at Presque Isle and at Tampa Bay Downs in the winter. He has a farm in Florida with wife Emily called Critter Hill.
Rice said they would be back at Woodbine for more sprint stakes this year.
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