Let’s continue with the last weekend races and now it’s the Woodbine Graded Races turn in case you miss it; Horse Racing Tote brings you all the details about these Canadian races.
Woodbine Oaks
Munnyfor Ro’s established stamina proved the key to the first leg of the Triple Tiara, for Canadian-bred three-year-old fillies in the Woodbine Oaks
Munnyfor Ro had the numbers in the book where several of her rivals did not, and Justin Stein was content to bide his time behind Lorena’s pace in the first half of the race, knowing that the daughter of Munnings would keep on going long after others had cried enough. As the field bore down on the turn, Stein began to pick them off one by one and put his filly’s head into the wind on the outside as they straightened up.
Emmeline, running the rail, kept on gamely under pressure but Munnyfor Ro always looked to have her measure and she opened up a comfortable cushion in the closing stages, winning by a length and a half in 1:50 and change for the nine furlongs on the all-weather Tapeta surface, paying out at $8.70. Emmeline had enough in the tank to hang on to the second spot, a nose ahead of the late closer Il Malocchio.
“The key with her is to have her settled,” said Stein, winning his second Woodbine Oaks after Academic’s 2015 triumph. “We had a dream trip, it worked out perfectly.”
Trainer Kevin Attard now has a decision to make regarding his filly’s participation in the Queen’s Plate – which has a history stretching back to 1860 – in three weeks’ time, in which she would be taking on colts in the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown. The extra furlong of that race is not expected to be an issue, although she will have to be supplemented should connections decide to run.
Royal North Stakes
Half an hour later, Attard and Stein teamed up again to take the CAN$200,000 Grade 2 Royal North Stakes, for older fillies and mares, with Amalfi Coast, who flashed home in the closing stages to snatch the spoils by a nose and half a length from Jeanie B and Change Of Control.
Stein kept the five-year-old Tapizar mare near the fence in midfield as Sister Peacock set the early fractions, but they still had plenty to do a furlong out when Jeanie B set sail for home. However, Amalfi Coast was finishing best of all on the rail and in a tight finish had her head in the right place at the right time, stopping the clock at a tick over 1:09 for the six furlongs on firm turf. She paid off at $9.60 on the mutuel.
Vigil Stakes
The thoroughly admirable Pink Lloyd was unable to put his name on the CAN$150,000 Grade 3 Vigil Stakes for the fifth year in a row, instead of going under by three-quarters of a length to hot favorite Souper Stonehenge, trained by Mark Casse and ridden by Patrick Husbands.
Souper Stonehenge ($2.70 at the windows) had the call pretty much throughout and had enough in reserve to deny the fast-finishing Pink Lloyd, going through the six furlongs on Tapeta in 1:09.5, with Not So Quiet three-quarters of a length further back in the third spot.