Gainesway Stable and LNJ Foxwoods’ LOYALTY, coming off her first stakes victory in the Lady Erie Stakes at Presque Isle, won her first Woodbine stakes event with a 1 1/2 length win in the $125,000 Duchess Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 7 furlongs at Woodbine on October 2.
The dark bay daughter of Hard Spun – Slew’s Quality by Elusive Quality, trained by Josie Carroll, had luck on her side in the Duchess as three early scratches from the race included morning line favourite Empress Tigress, a fast stakes-winning filly for Augustin Stables.
With the field down to 6 rivals, Loyalty was waiting in post position one at post time when Carroll’s other trainee, Chiefswood Stables’ Pioneer’s Edge, sporting new blinkers, broke through the gate and ran off. After a delay, Pioneer’s Edge was safely captured and the five-horse Duchess field was on its way.
After stalking the speed of Hollywood Walk and Join the Dance, Loyalty and jockey Luis Contreras took over on the turn for home. It was at that time that two-time graded stakes winner Souper Hoity Toity, in the midst of a rail rally under Patrick Husbands, checked sharply. Souper Hoity Toity had to start over again and closed fast but it was too late.
The time was 1:22.90 on the Tapeta.
Carroll was concerned about the inside draw but felt Loyalty could handle the challenge.
“She’s just incredibly honest. You just lead her over and she just seems to show up. I don’t think you ever like to draw the one-hole. I particularly didn’t like it when I saw that the two horse [Empress Tigress] was going to be the speed horse, but when she scratched, I felt a lot better about it.”
With the Duchess win, Loyalty, who took the Lady Erie Stakes on August 8 at Presque Isle, is now a four-time winner from five starts. The lone blemish was a sixth in the turf Alywow Stakes on July 9.
“I think you draw a line through it,” said Carroll, of the Alywow. “Her pedigree said she should love the grass. We put her on the grass, she ran a bad race that day and it wasn’t the grass. I don’t know whether at some date we might try her again or keep her on this surface. I guess time will tell.”
A $270,000 Keeneland September yearling, Loyalty won her first two starts, both 6-furlong sprints on the Woodbine Tapeta. Bred in Florida by Best A Luck Farm LLC & Godolphin LLC, she is a half to champion sprinter and Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Shamrock Rose.
Loyalty paid $3.80, $2.20 and $2.10, combining with Souper Hoity Toity ($2.50, $2.10) for a $5.80 exactor. The triactor with Join the Dance ($2.30) returned $12.80. A $1 superfecta with Pharoah’s Song came back at $8.95.
Race 4 was won by CHEEKY PINT in a romp for trainer and co-owner Don MacRae. The 5-year-old Society’s Chairman mare, re-claimed by MacRae Aug. 26 for $7,500, came right back for the same claiming price and won an inner turf race for her other co-owner Keowee Racing Stable. The mare was MacRae’s 16th winner of 2022, bettering his 15 win season of 2021.
Nick Nosowenko sent out his mare TWISTER ALERT to win her third race of the season in race 5, a $40,000 claiming/optional sprint. The 6-year-old by Stormy Atlantic, who only this year won her maiden in her 15th outing of her career, has won three of her last four with Antonio Gallardo riding.
Race 6 was a nice maiden special weight to 2-year-old fillies and the long striding, very pretty filly FOREVER DIXIE rallied from well back to win in her 4th career start, her first outing at Woodbine. Owned and bred by John Oxley and trained by Mark Casse, Forever Dixie is a daughter of champion filly Dixie Strike, who won the Prince of Wales Stakes in 2012, earned $1.1 million and is a half-sister to champion Inglorious.
Forever Dixie was adding Lasix and shedding the blinkers after three races in the U.S. on dirt and turf. She is a Kentucky-bred by Quality Road.
The win by SOCIETY’S KAT (Society’s Chairman – Gertie T by Midnight Lute) in a maiden/optional event, race 7, at 6 furlongs was very impressive as the 2-year-old filly battled hard on the rail through fast fractions for the day and drew off on a Tapeta surface that has favoured outside closers for several weeks. Society’s Kat, making her 4th career start for Carlo D’Amato and Stacy Van Camp and trained Mike Mattine, was a $4,700 yearling purchase from the 2021 CTHS Mixed Sale last November and she was bred by Brian Wright.
Jockeys Eswan Flores, Declan Carroll and Kazushi Kimura won 2 races on the day and wagering was just about $6 million.
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