The richest race for Canadian-bred 2-year-old fillies, the PRINCESS ELIZABETH STAKES, worth $250,000-added, is race 8 on Sunday, October 16 at Woodbine racetrack and the 1 1/16 mile race on Tapeta has a wide-open field of 10.
There are 5 winners and 5 maidens in the field for the prestigious race which was first run in 1946 and won by the top filly Casa Camara. The probable favourite is WICKENHEISER, a long-striding bay filly by Lemon Drop Kid – Game (Fr) by Montjeu (Ire) owned by Al and Bill Ulwelling and Clay Scherr.
Wickenheiser comes off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Natalma Stakes on the grass for trainer Kevin Attard, who won the race with Last Call who is now headed to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).
A $245,000 yearling purchase at the 2021 Keeneland September yearling sale, Wickenheiser was a very impressive debut winner on July 2 in a 6 furlong turf dash, weaving through rivals to win by half a length in 1:09 2/5. In the Catch a Glimpse Stakes, the filly was favoured but had to come very wide off the turn for home and she landed fifth behind Cairo Consort.
She was once again wide off the turn in the Natalma and ended up fourth, 3 3/4 lengths behind Last Call, Cairo Consort and G Laurie.
For the Princess Elizabeth, Wickenheiser will add Lasix and blinkers and have a new rider in Rafael Hernandez. The Princess Elizabeth will be her first start on the Tapeta. Her full brother Belichick was second in the Grade 3 Ontario Derby on Tapeta as well as the Breeders’ Stakes on turf. Both were bred by Sean Fitzhenry.
Attard, who won last year’s Princess Elizabeth with super filly Moira, also has COURTLY RO in the field for Raroma Stable. This gal was a turf maiden winner and seventh in the Natalma and she adds Lasix and Justin Stein for the Princess Elizabeth.
Stakes-placed fillies FRIENDS FOR LIFE and SOUPER SINCLAIR are also in the field. Friends for Life, by Silent Name (Jpn) was a smart debut winner at 6 furlongs on Tapeta but had a troubled outing in the Victorian Queen Stakes on the grass last time when third. She is trained by Stuart Simon, who has won two recent editions of the Princess Elizabeth.
Souper Sinclair, trained by Phil Hall, was second in the Muskoka Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs on Tapeta and recently won her maiden at 7 furlongs on the turf. The Souper Speedy filly is owned by Dennis Ricker and Praven Sorensen.
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