Woodbine Entertainment released an updated list today of Canadian-bred three-year-old fillies eligible to the 65th running of the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks presented by Budweiser, set for Saturday, Aug. 15.
A total of 36 fillies, including four supplements, have been nominated to the 1 1/8-mile opening leg of the Canadian Triple Tiara following the July 1 sustaining payment deadline.
Sovereign Award winner Curlin's Voyage stamped herself as an early favorite for the mid-August affair following her Fury Stakes triumph on Sunday at Woodbine. The Curlin-Atlantic Voyage filly has won half of her eight career starts, including the Grade 3 Mazarine and Ontario Lassie, while earning nearly $365,000 for breeder Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings and co-owner Windsor Boys Racing.
Owlette was impressive in her season's debut, capturing the Star Shoot Stakes over Curlin's Voyage on June 13 for trainer Wesley Ward and Ten Broeck Farm. The daughter of Frac Daddy and Itstartswithadream has finished no worse than second in six career starts while earning just over $300,000 and boasts additional stakes wins in the Shady Well and Victorian Queen.
The high-profile filly Infinite Patience, co-owned by NHL star Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and breeder William DeCoursey, was a gutsy third in last weekend's Fury after going five-for-five in her freshman campaign at Hastings Racecourse. The Sungold-Montero filly has been supplemented to the Oaks for $2,500 along with Curlin's Tiger, Lasting Union and River of Pearls.
The list of eligibles includes Ann of Cleves, who is a half-sister to 2015 Woodbine Oaks champion Academic. Ricky Griffith trains the Verrazano-Awesome Lass filly for Racing Canada and John Phillip Brown.
NK Racing's contender Sansa's Vow is a full-sister to Tone Broke, winner of two-thirds of last year's Canadian Triple Crown (Prince of Wales and Breeders' Stakes). Unraced at two, the Broken Vow-Mendocino Beano miss broke her maiden when making her second career start in a 1-1/16 mile-turf race on June 21 for trainer Josie Carroll.
Sam-Son Farm, owner and breeder of last year's Oaks champion Desert Ride, has three nominees including Raven's Song. The Medaglia d'Oro-Song of the Lark filly is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes champion Up With the Birds, who was a close runner-up in the Queen's Plate and winner of the Breeders' Stakes during his 2013 Horse of the Year campaign.
Another filly with Triple Crown pedigree is Itskathiesluckyday, trained by Mike Keogh for The Estate of Gustav Schickedanz. Sired by Itsmyluckyday, the maiden filly's dam Half Sister is in fact a half-sister to Triple Crown winner Wando.
Fifty-eight fillies were originally nominated to the 2020 Woodbine Oaks.
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