The entries for the 71st WOODBINE OAKS, now worth a whopping $750,000, will be taken Thursday morning and the big names in what figures to be a compact field are LUSTER, PIPER’S GIFT and DIXIE LAW.
The 1 1/8 mile Oaks is on Sunday, the same day as the Plate Trial Stakes.
This is the biggest race for Canadian bred 3-year-olds and the purse went up earlier this week when funding from the provincial government came through for Ontario horse racing.
Between trainers MARK CASSE, KEVIN ATTARD and JOSIE CARROLL they have accounted for the last 6 Oaks winners and 10 of the last 20.
Four of the last 20 winners have gone on to win the King’s (Queen’s Plate), the most recent being Moira in 2022.
It is Luster who is getting a lot of the early Oaks buzz based on her Grade 3 victory, the Selene Stakes at 1 1/16 miles, on June 27 for trainer Carroll and American owners Gainesway Farm and Andrew Rosen. American Hall of Fame jockey JOHN VELAZQUEZ has been enlisted to ride Luster and Velazquez won last year’s Oaks on Gary Barber’s No Time.
Luster is a steel grey filly by Knicks Go with three wins from four races.
The other top 2 players in the Oaks are both trained by DALE DESRUISSEAUX, who has surged into the top 10 trainers at Woodbine in the last couple of years. The Welland horseman has Chiefswood Stables’ Piper’s Gift (Yorkton) and Hillsbrook Farm’s Dixie Law. The two fillies have never met.
Piper’s Gift is a robust bay who has won three stakes races including the 7 furlong Fury Stakes in her latest outing. Rafael Hernandez rides. Dixie Law has also won three stakes including the Grade 3 Mazarine. She won the 7 furlong Ruling Angel on May 16 and was third to Luster in the Selene.
Robert and Mark Krembil’s Chiefswood Stables and Carroll combined to win the Oaks in 2024 with Kin’s Concerto and have BOLD TIME entered this year. The Not This Time filly was very strong winning her maiden race with an 83 Beyer FIgure but flopped in the Selene Stakes.
And KATIE’S GRACE, trained by Catherine Day Phillips for Americans Chivalry Thoroughbreds and Hubert Vester, was a closing second in the Selene under Ryan Munger and she should enjoy the longer distance.
PAST 20 WOODBINE OAKS WINNERS
Yr Winner Jockey Trainer Owner Time
2025 No Time John R. Velazquez Mark E. Casse Gary Barber 1:50.14
2024 Kin’s Concerto Sofia Vives Josie Carroll Chiefswood Stable 1:51.18
2023 Elysian Field Sahin Civaci Mark E. Casse Team Valor International, Gary Barber 1:49.78
2022 Moira Rafael Manuel Hernandez Kevin Attard X-Men Racing LLC, Madaket Stables LLC & SF Racing LLC 1:49.83
2021 Munnyfor Ro Justin Stein Kevin Attard Raroma Stable 1:50.31
2020 Curlin’s Voyage Patrick Husbands Josie Carroll Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings Inc. & Windsor Boys Racing 1:50.04
2019 Desert Ride Steve Bahen Neil J. Howard Sam-Son Farm 1:50.43
2018 Dixie Moon Eurico Rosa Da Silva Catherine Day Phillips Sean & Dorothy Fitzhenry 1:50.38
2017 Holy Helena Luis Contreras Jimmy Jerkens Stronach Stables 1:50.18
2016 Neshama Eurico Rosa Da Silva Catherine Day Phillips Carnegie Hill Stable, Kingfield Racing Stable, Anderson Farms, & J.Fielding 1:52.34
2015 Academic Justin Stein Reade Baker Bear Stables 1:48.86
2014 Lexie Lou Patrick Husbands Mark E. Casse Gary Barber 1:49.77
2013 Nipissing Steve Bahen Rachel Halden Chiefswood Stable 1:50.34
2012 Irish Mission Alex Solis Mark Frostad Robert S. Evans 1:50.50
2011 Inglorious Luis Contreras Josie Carroll Donver Stable 1:51.77
2010 Roan Inish David J. Moran Carolyn M. Costigan Robert J. Costigan 1:50.53
2009 Milwaukee Appeal Stewart Elliott Scott H. Fairlie C.E.C. Farms 1:49.84
2008 Ginger Brew Javier Castellano Brian A. Lynch Stronach Stables 1:51.40
2007 Sealy Hill Patrick Husbands Mark E. Casse Eugene Melnyk 1:50.68
2006 Kimchi Patrick Husbands Mark E. Casse Seasoft Stable 1:52.23
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