Eight horses will go postward in the Grade 2, $200,000 Dance Smartly Stakes on Sunday at Woodbine, the first of three premier turf races for fillies and mares that comprise the bonus-laden Ladies of the Lawn Series.
Launched in 2019, this year's series offers a $250,000 bonus to the owner of the horse that wins all three races in the series. If a horse doesn't sweep the series, a $50,000 bonus will be presented to the connections of the horse that accumulates the most points throughout the trio of races.
The second and third legs of the Ladies of the Lawn Series are the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes ($200,000), scheduled for Sunday, August 21, and the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes ($750,000), slated for Saturday, October 8.
“The popular Ladies of the Lawn Series, featuring the addition of a $250,000 bonus, has not only elevated the profile of this three-race event, but also made it more lucrative for owners and trainers to point their fillies and mares to these high-profile races,” said Tim Lawson, Woodbine's Director of Thoroughbred Racing. “Our horseplayers, fans and racing participants will once again have the opportunity to witness world-class racing on Woodbine's renowned E.P. Taylor Turf Course.”
The points breakdown for each leg of the Ladies of the Lawn series is as follows:
1st: 10
2nd: 7
3rd: 5
4th: 3
5th: 2
Horses finishing 6th through last in any leg will receive one point.
Set at 1 1/16 miles over the E.P. Taylor turf, this year's running of the Dance Smartly, named after the Sam-Son Farm dual hall of fame superstar, includes multiple graded stakes winner Lady Speightspeare, the Mark Casse trio of Fev Rover (IRE), Keyflower (FR), and multiple stakes winner Inthewinnerscircle, Bill Mott trainee Wakanaka (IRE), and Munnyfor Ro, Canada's champion 3-year-old female of 2021.
The inaugural Ladies of the Lawn Series was won by Kevin Attard trainee, 2019 Canadian Horse of the Year, Starship Jubilee. In 2020, Elizabeth Way, trained by Hall of Fame trainer, Roger Attfield, was victorious. Mutamakina secured the 2021 edition Ladies of the Lawn Series title with a victory in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes for conditioner Christophe Clement.
GRADE 2 $200,000 DANCE SMARTLY STAKES (Race 10)
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – MunnyforRo – Justin Stein – Kevin Attard
2 – Keyflower (FR) – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse
3 – Fev Rover (IRE) – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
4 – Lady Speightspeare – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Roger Attfield
5 – Seasons – Luis Contreras – Josie Carroll
6 – Inthewinnerscircle – Kazushi Kimura – Mark Casse
7 – Wakanaka (IRE) (S) – Rafael Hernandez – Bill Mott
8 – Youens – Sahin Civaci – Angus Buntain
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