Seven fillies and mares, three-year-olds and up, including Power of Destiny (GB), will vie for top prize in the $200,000 bet365 Dance Smartly Stakes (G2T), a 1 1/16-mile test over the E.P. Taylor turf, Saturday at Woodbine. The winner of the race will earn automatic entry into the 2027 Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational Stakes (G2T), slated for January at Gulfstream Park.
Since the North American chapter of her career began this May, Power of Destiny (GB), trained by Jamie Begg, has posted a win, a second and a third from five starts, including a second in her Canadian debut, a 1 1/16-mile main track race, on May 3 at Woodbine.
Following an off-the-board finish in the Belle Mahone Stakes (G3) on May 30, the five-year-old daughter of Sea The Stars (IRE) out of the unraced Kingman (GB) mare Rux Power (GB) was victorious in her North American turf debut, winning a 1 1/16-mile inner turf allowance optional claimer by a neck.
Power of Destiny (GB) then traveled to the Empire State where she was third in a 1 1/8-mile inner turf race at Saratoga on Aug. 5. Ten days later, she stepped up to the Grade 2 ranks and finished fourth 1 1/16-mile Canadian Stakes, run over the Woodbine inner turf.
“We had to wheel her back pretty quickly and when Johnny [Velazquez] got off after the Canadian, he said that having more time between the races would have been preferable, but she was still competitive and game,” said Begg. “I think if she would have run her race, she could have been third, so that is why we have given her some extra time between that race and this one.
“We have also had her on Lasix since coming over here and she has run more consistently. When she ran in Europe, she was somewhat inconsistent, so we believe that has led her to being a more consistent horse over here.”
Now, the bay will have her first chance to run on the sweeping E.P. Taylor turf.
“We’re looking forward to it,” said Begg, who is on course to have his best season to date. “It seems like she has run better when she has been able to run behind some speed and covered up, which is the case for a lot of the European fillies. Her first start here was on the synthetic and she went to the lead, where it seems she was a little lost up there.
“In all her races here, she has shown that fight she has in her. In her first race at Woodbine, it looked like she would end up third – another filly was coming on – but she battled on and kept her head in front for second. She is quite a gamer. I really like this horse and hopefully, she can show up, having had some extra time in between her races.”
Power of Destiny (GB) was purchased for 40,000 guineas at the 2025 Tattersalls December Mares Sale by Begg and Joe Miller, for the ownership group of Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners, Upland Flats Racing, Jonathan Wilmot and Nick Bauer.
“Joe Miller is the representative at Tattersalls, and he is also the manager for the partners in this mare,” said Begg in an earlier interview. “He had very much highlighted her as a horse we could really look at. She was very highly rated in Europe, which caused her to carry a lot of weight when she was running. Two races before we brought her over here, she was carrying 140 pounds. The idea was that when she ran in the ‘one other than’ races here, she could carry around 121 pounds, which is far more reasonable than 140.
“It was funny because at that sale, the guys in the group were pretty gung-ho about taking a swing at buying her. There were a couple of horses that were going for quite a bit of money but weren’t on our radar. Joe had earmarked this mare, and we were willing to go up to £100,000 on her. And when we bought her for only 40, each one of the partners figured they had bought her themselves. But they are all great with having her in partnership. We got a pretty good bargain and are playing with house money at this point.”
Power of Destiny (GB) is 3-3-4 from 21 starts, along with $134,119 in purse earnings. Alfredo Ramos is the groom.
Recent works: Power of Destiny (GB) covered three panels in :35.20 on the turf training track on Sept. 27, one week after a four-furlong work in :49.80 over the same surface.
“We worked her on the turf, giving her an easy three-eighths,” said Begg, of the most recent move. “She went a little quick, but if you saw the work, you would never have realized it was that fast. She came out of it happy and we’re happy with how she is coming into this spot.”
Fast facts: The race is named after the Sam-Son Farm superstar who went undefeated in 1991 while taking the Canadian Triple Crown and becoming the first horse bred in Canada to win a Breeders’ Cup race (G1 Distaff, 1991). She is a member of both the Canadian and American Racing Halls of Fame. Bessarabian won the first edition in 1986.
Wagering menu for the Dance Smartly: Includes Rolling Double / Exacta / 0.20 Trifecta / 0.20 Superfecta / 0.20 Pick 3 (Races 6-7-8) / 0.20 Pick 5 (Races 7-8-9-10-11) / $1 Swinger / $5 All Stakes Pick 3 (Races 6-8-9) ***15 % Takeout***
Field for the Grade 2 Dance Smartly
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Proctor Street – Pietro Moran – Brendan Walsh
2 – Power of Destiny (GB) – Ryan Munger – James Begg
3 – Pin Up Betty – Rajiv Maragh – Michael Maker
4 – Warming – Fraser Aebly – Graham Motion
5 – Eponine (IRE) – Rafael Hernandez – Kevin Attard
6 – Elysian Field – Romero Ramsay Maragh – Mark Casse
7 – Ozara (IRE) (S) – Sahin Civaci – Miguel Clement
Western Whirl and jockey Fraser Aebly winning June 8, 2025 at Woodbine. (Michael Burns Photo)
Rock-steady Western Whirl seeks Grade 2 Nearctic triumph
Western Whirl, a homebred for Chiefswood Stable, will meet six rivals in the $250,000 Nearctic Stakes Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G2T), part of Saturday’s Fall Turf Showcase card at Woodbine.
Trained by Stuart Simon, multiple graded stakes-placed Western Whirl will make his second straight appearance in the six-furlong fixture for three-year-olds and up, contested over the E.P. Taylor turf.
Last year, the son of Twirling Candy out of the Gone West mare Western Rose was third in the Nearctic, less than a length behind the winner No Nay Hudson (IRE).
“The maturity he has shown from then to today, and the fact that he is an even better horse now, will hopefully get him over the top this time,” said Simon, who is closing in on 900 career wins.
Western Whirl has been a model of consistency over a 20-race career that has produced a mark of 3-6-5, along with $319,845 in purse earnings.
The gelding, who has finished in the top four on 16 occasions, will contest his sixth straight race at the graded stakes level.
“He’s just a very honest type of horse. He is just such a consistent type and has developed into a nice quality sprinter. He tries all the time, and he’s become more consistent the older he has gotten. You are grateful to have these horses, the ones who bring it every time.”
In three starts this year, the bay finished third in the Jacques Cartier (G3), second in the Highlander Stakes (G2T) and second, just a head back, in the Bold Venture (G2) on Aug. 15.
Simon is looking forward to seeing Western Whirl back on the E.P. Taylor turf. “He can run on the synthetic and on the inner turf, but I really think he will be better on the outer turf. We regrouped after his last race and waited, just dialed in on having him ready for this one.
“He is just a bigger horse. Even though he raced well and tolerated the inner turf, I just believe he is too big to handle those tighter turns. I think the outside turf and those sweeping turns will just be better for him considering how big he is.”
Amanda Gregory is the groom.
Recent works: On Sept. 18, Western Whirl covered four furlongs in :48.80. One week later, at five furlongs over the same surface, he stopped the clock in 1:01.20.
“He has just been training very well since his last race,” said Simon. “Looking at those last two works, he just seems to be in the zone and in good order.”
Fast facts: Hall of Fame jockey Robin Platts won the first three editions of the race: in 1973 with Rare Adventure, in 1974 with Henry Tudor and in 1975 with Gurkhas Band. Play The King won back-to-back editions (1987-88), as did Wild Zone (1995-96).
Wagering menu for the Nearctic: Includes Rolling Double / Exacta / 0.20 Trifecta / 0.20 Superfecta / 0.20 Pick 3 (Races 8-9-10) / 0.20 Pick 4 (Races 8-9-10-11) / $1 Swinger.
Field for the Grade 2 Nearctic
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Works for Me – Sahin Civaci – Joseph Lee
2 – Victory Achieved – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse
3 – Isivunguvungu (SAF) – Ryan Munger – Graham Motion
4 – Western Whirl – Fraser Aebly – Stuart Simon
5 – Gas Me Up – Pietro Moran – Kevin Attard
6 – Nobals – E.T. Baird – Larry Rivelli
7 – Essex Serpent – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Mark Casse
More News
