The 76th PRINCESS ELIZABETH STAKES, to be run Saturday at Woodbine, is the premier race for Canadian-bred 2-year-old fillies and goes a long way to adding value to a young miss and setting them as a contender for the following year’s Woodbine Oaks.
Ten starters are slated to go postward in the 76th renewal of the $250,000 Princess Elizabeth, a 1 1/16-mile main track race for Canadian-bred two-year-old fillies. Three are maidens and four entrants are trained by Mark Casse.
Saturday’s co-featured Hendrie Stakes (G3) is a sprint for fillies and mares and with the injury to current star Boardroom, the division is wide open.
BAKSHEESH figures to be favoured based on her strong win in the Muskoka Stakes on the Tapeta on Aug. 29, her first race for new owners Gary Barber and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partnership. The grey gal by Summer Front – Spider Dust, by Broken Vow was purchased by the new owners from the Ralph Biamonte Stable following her second career race when she was a closing second in a maiden race. She won the Muskoka by four lengths with a 66 Beyer Speed Figure. Baksheesh tried the Grade 1 Natalma on the grass recently but did not handle the surface and finished eighth.
Baksheesh was bred by Track West Racing.
The probable favourite, trained by Mark Casse, has three stablemates in the field. MO TOURING, fourth in the five-furlong Woodbine Care Stakes on turf and INTO TOURING, a maiden winner at Del Mar on turf, are both homebreds for Gary Barber. LOIS LEN, third in the Victorian Queen Stakes on turf, is owned by DJ Stable, Aaron Yagoda and Casse.
Victorian Queen Stakes winner SWINGING MANDY is an improving filly by Giant Gizmo for trainer Dale Desruisseaux and impressive debut winner SOUPER FLASHY (Souper Speedy) stretches out to the route distance for Terra Racing.
Broken Proposal, a two-year-old daughter of Broken Vow, goes for her first victory in the Princess Elizabeth Stakes. Trained by Stuart Simon, Broken Proposal, a Sam-Son Farm homebred, finished second in her career bow on October 1 at Woodbine in a one-mile race over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.
Sent on her way at 15-1, the bay, under Gary Boulanger, had a less-than-ideal journey. Despite a tough beginning and a traffic-filled ending, Broken Proposal managed to finish second, 1 ¾-lengths behind the winner.
If Simon was hoping for his young charge to gain some needed experience in her debut, she most certainly did.
“She had a trip where she doesn’t have a lot of speed, so I told Gary to just let her get her feet underneath her and get some experience of closing behind her horses,” said Simon. “And that’s just what she did. She hesitated a little bit in the stretch, but that happens on the turf. I like to see them save ground and it teaches them a little something.”
Broken Proposal came out of the race in good order and has been training forwardly ahead of her spot in the Princess Elizabeth starting gate.
“She came out of the race well. She’s one of those fillies where she was a little immature this summer, but each week now she just becomes a better filly. Mind and body, she’s putting it all together. I think her turf form will transfer to the main track. She’s worked well on the main track and I know she’ll really get the distance. She’ll run a long way, that filly. I think the two turns and the further distance will only help her.”
Should she win on Saturday, Broken Proposal would be the seventh Sam-Son silk bearer to have won the race that was inaugurated in 1946.
Princess Elizabeth-winning fillies Nipissing (2012), Roan Inish (2009), Ginger Gold (2001), Dancethruthedawn (2000), Deputy Jane West (1992) and Par Excellence (1979) all went on to win the Woodbine Oaks presented by Budweiser the following year. Ginger Gold holds the race record (1:43.48) at the current distance of 1 1/16 miles.
The Grade 3 Hendrie has drawn six hopefuls, including Amalfi Coast. The five-year-old daughter of Tapizar arrives at the 6 ½-furlong race for fillies & mares, three-year-olds and up, off a splendid score in the Grade 3 Ontario Fashion Stakes on October 3. Trained by Kevin Attard, the Terra Racing Stable homebred is 7-2-4 from 18 career starts. Attard is also represented by Toffen, a four-year-old daughter of Cairo Prince, who is 5-1-0 from nine starts.
The Princess Elizabeth is slated as race seven. The Hendrie goes as race three. First race post time is 12:55 p.m. Fans can also watch and wager on all the action via HPIbet.com or the Dark Horse Bets app.
$250,000 PRINCESS ELIZABETH STAKES
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Broken Proposal – Gary Boulanger – Stuart Simon
2 – Mo Touring – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse
3 – Into Touring – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse
4 – Lois Len – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
5 – Souper Flashy – Antonio Gallardo – Kevin Attard
6 – Swinging Mandy – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Dale Desruisseaux
7 – Keep It Neat – Luis Contreras – Barbara Minshall
8 – Baksheesh – Kazushi Kimura – Mark Casse
9 – Moira – Justin Stein – Kevin Attard
10 – Intro – Daisuke Fukumoto – Michael De Paulo
$150,000 HENDRIE STAKES
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Fiduciary (GB) – Luis Contreras – Josie Carroll
2 – Our Secret Agent – Kazushi Kimura – Mark Casse
3 – Betwixting – Patrick Husbands – Martin Drexler
4 – Toffen – Antonio Gallardo – Kevin Attard
5 – La Libertee (S) – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse
6 – Amalfi Coast – Justin Stein – Kevin Attard
More from Canadian Thoroughbred:
