Lorena Takes Fury, Could Woodbine Oaks Be Next?

Selene Stakes (G3) – 79 Beyer Figure (from DRF) – Our Flash Drive

Fury Stakes – 76 Beyer – Lorena

Stuart Simon, Brent and Russell McLellan and former jockey Gerry Olguin have a decision to make. Their nice filly LORENA (Souper Speedy – Negotiable by Hat Trick (Jpn) won the Fury Stakes at seven furlongs to remain unbeaten in three races. The Fury is a typical stepping stone to the Woodbine Oaks, the premier race for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles and it is on August 1.

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Leading the field of Canadian-bred fillies through a very slow quarter in :23.57 and just as slow half-mile :46.82, Lorena turned back her late challengers to win the seven-furlong sprint in 1:23.94 for a 76 Beyer Figure, just down from the 81 she posted in her season debut victory. She won her maiden in 2020 in her lone start.

Through the turn, Lorena rebuffed Owen’s Tour Guide and then held the late-rallying Astrological at bay down the stretch to defeat that foe by three-quarters of a length. Less than a length behind, Curlin’s Catch completed a 2-3 finish for trainer Mark Casse.

Il Malocchio finished four lengths back in fourth with Bodacious Miss, Owen’s Tour Guide and El Bayern rounding out the field.

“I thought that she broke well, and she seemed to make the lead rather easily,” said Simon, who co-owns.

“She was setting sensible fractions and looked comfortable, so I wasn’t worried about where she was at.”

Simon said he is still mulling over whether the Ontario-bred filly will head to the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks presented by Budweiser.

“I hate to put too much on a young horse’s plate, so we’ll take it under careful consideration,” he said.

“She’s an awfully good filly,” he added. “She ranks right up there with all of them. I think we’ve been fortunate to get some good young horses and it’s worked out well.”

Lorena paid $3.90 to win as the 4-5 favourite.

ASTROLOGICAL, the runner-up, took a lot of betting support and ran well in only her second career start. The filly is still a maiden for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber and trainer Mark Casse but she is by Malibu Moon out of Dixie Chicken and this a half sister to 2018 Oaks winner Dixie Moon.

And Casse trainee CURLIN’S CATCH closed well and may be the tough one in the Oaks, considering she rallied into the quick late pace.

The Grade 3 SELENE STAKES at 1 1/16 miles only had one Oaks eligible in the field, MUNNYFOR RO (Munnings – Repartee by Distorted Humor), who did well to be second to the improving OUR FLASH DRIVE (Ghostzapper – Dynamotor by Dynaformer), a Florida-bred for Live Oak Plantation and trainer Mark Casse.

Casse earned his fourth consecutive victory in the Grade 3 event, with Patrick Husbands engineering the winning trip aboard the bay filly.

Stretching out to 1 1/16 miles on the main track, Our Flash Drive stalked the front-running California Lily early on before moving up to press the pace after opening fractions of :24.78 and :49.03. With Husbands signalling it was go-time past the 1:12.87 three-quarter mark, Our Flash Drive overtook the pacesetter and took off down the lane to win by 2-1/4 lengths in 1:44.69.

Woodbine Oaks eligible Munnyfor Ro, who broke outward, rallied home from the backfield to take the runner-up honours under Justin Stein. It was another 2-1/4 lengths back to third-place finisher Sweet Souper Sweet, another Live Oak homebred trained by Michael Trombetta, who finished three lengths ahead of California Lily. Gote Go followed in fifth and the Casse-trained Danger was eased up and completed the order of finish.

Sent postward as the odds-on favourite, Our Flash Drive returned $4.70 to win.

Now two-for-four lifetime, she boasts back-to-back wins at Woodbine.

MUNNYFOR RO, owned by Ro Perra, was sent back north to trainer Kevin Attard after a 5 race winter campaign that saw her win her maiden on the grass at Keeneland and recently finish sixth in the Grade 3 Regret Stakes. Bred by Daybar Ltd and a $65,000 yearling purchase, Munnyfor Ro had raced twice at Woodbine last fall and did not do much but she has been improving in 2021.