Robert Evans’s Irish Mission, ridden by Alex Solis, pulled off a 9-1 shocker Sunday afternoon in the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks for Canadian-foaled three-year-old fillies.
At the finish of the mile and one-eighth classic, timed in 1:50.50, Irish Mission had fended off the stretch challenges of Northern Passion and Awesome Fire for the three-quarter length score. Pacesetter Black Bird Rock tired slightly to finish fourth, a head in front of the 4-5 choice, Dixie Strike.
Trained by Mark Frostad, who was celebrating his fourth Oaks victory after wins with Catch the Ring (2000), Dancethruthedawn (2001) and Eye of the Sphynx (2004), all for Sam-Son Farm, the chestnut daughter of Giant’s Causeway-Misty Mission was winning her second race in a row, after breaking her maiden on turf at Keeneland on April 26.
“Yes, I worked her a few times,” said Solis. “The way she ran, she had high motion speed, and she could stay the distance. We had the mind to keep it close to the pace and soon as we hit the turn, she kept going. She showed determination. The more that I asked her, the more she gave.”
Black Bird Rock, the 8-1 third choice who was one of three Oaks hopefuls saddled by trainer Mark Casse (Dixie Strike and the 2-1 second choice Northern Passion were the others), went immediately to the front in the field of nine. The daughter of Flower Alley set reasonable fractions under jockey Eurico Rosa da Silva of :25.11, :49.79 and 1:13.10, while being stalked by Horseshoe Hill and Irish Mission.
Black Bird Rock still held a slight advantage as the fillies turned for home, after the mile was clocked in 1:37.78, but Irish Mission took dead aim on the outside. Dixie Strike, who had been placed in perfect position in fourth for much of the trip, loomed up as well into the stretch, but couldn’t get by the leaders.
Northern Passion and Awesome Fire, a 35-1 longshot, moved together in mid-stretch to offer late challenges, but Irish Mission was successful in holding them safe. Now, her connections will have to decide whether to chase Queen’s Plate glory on June 24, while trying to become just the sixth filly to win both classics. Last year, Inglorious prevailed in both the Oaks and the Plate. Frostad directed Dancethruthedawn to that elusive double in 2001.
Bred by Sam-Son Farm, Irish Mission was a $375,000 yearling purchase at the Fasig-Tipton August sale. In four starts last year at Woodbine, the massive chestnut could only manage a fourth-place finish in her third start, before finishing fifth to Rose and Shine in the Princess Elizabeth Stakes.
This year, she’d started twice on the turf at Gulfstream Park before her maiden-breaker over one and three-sixteenths miles at Keeneland.
“It’s always a thrill to win this race, it’s a huge race here, and she’s a very nice filly,” said Frostad. “It was a big step up for her. She went from a maiden race to the Oaks. But, she’s been improving all along, and as she’s getting older, she’s got a lot stronger.”
Irish Mission’s winning purse of $300,000 went a long way to repaying her purchase price.
“She has been doing very well, she’s a great big filly, and it’s taking her a while to develop,” explained owner Evans. “Mark Frostad has been doing a wonderful job training her, he said all along she was an Oaks filly, and sure enough she was. He advised me to buy her as a yearling in Saratoga, and I did. We might come back in the Queen’s Plate, if she comes out of this race well, but, it looks pretty tough though.”
Irish Mission paid $20.50, $7.50 and $8.80, teaming with Northern Passion ($4.30, $5.30) for a $86.80 (8-4) exactor. An 8-4-3 (Awesome Fire, $17.10 to show) triactor lit up the toteboard with a $1,167.20 payout, while a $1 Superfecta [8-4-3-5 (Black Bird Rock)] came back $2,771.45.
The Woodbine Oaks is the first leg of the Triple Tiara, followed by the mile and one-sixteenth, $250,000 Bison City Stakes, July 1 and the turf, mile and one-quarter, $250,000 Wonder Where Stakes, July 29, both at Woodbine. Only one filly, Sealy Hill in 2007, has captured the Triple Tiara.
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