Three Graded Stakes Highlight July 25 Woodbine Card

Woodbine shines the graded spotlight on female runners July 25, presenting three CA$175,000 stakes. The sequence begins with the Ontario Colleen Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at a mile on turf as Saturday's eighth race, followed by consecutive Tapeta races for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up: the 6 1/2-furlong Hendrie Stakes (G3) and the 1 1/8-mile Trillium Stakes (G3). The top three morning-line choices in the Trillium all ship from their training bases at Turfway Park in Kentucky: Augustin Stable's 9-5 favorite Rashmi, trained by Jonathan Thomas; Carl R. Moore Management's Fantastical (3-1), conditioned by Joe Sharp; and Godolphin's Golden Sunshine (9-2), trained by Eoin Harty. Each has graded stakes credentials, with Rashmi leading the way with two graded stakes victories and a last-out runner-up finish in the May 25 Gamely Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita Park. Fantastical and Golden Sunshine, however, have Tapeta experience that Rashmi lacks. Both are multiple winners on Turfway Park's synthetic surface. Fantastical, a 5-year-old daughter of Air Force Blue, returns to Woodbine for her second consecutive start after finishing second in the June 27 Royal North Stakes (G3T) on grass. After trailing in eighth through the early stages of the 7 1/2-furlong race, she closed strongly to come up three-quarters of a length short of winner Shifty, who is not entered in the Trillium. "It was a tough beat," Sharp said. "We were trying to get her to be a stakes winner, but it was a huge effort. She kind of got a little bit stuck in the turn or she probably would have got up. She had a good trip other than that. We were really, really proud of her effort and definitely gave us a reason to come back." The primary question facing the Rafael Hernandez-ridden Fantastical is the distance, as her recent experience has been in races at a mile or shorter. The Hendrie features two accomplished 5-year-old mares with proven Woodbine Tapeta form: 5-2 choice Reagan's Flame, winner of the May 2 Whimsical Stakes (G3) before finishing fifth on turf in the Royal North Stakes for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.; and Kristin Meldahl's 3-1 contender Creed's Gold, the defending Hendrie winner trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse. Creed's Gold has made all four of her starts this season in turf sprints. The nine-filly Ontario Colleen appears competitive, with Bandiagara (GB) installed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite following her victory in the May 29 Penn Oaks at Penn National Race Course in her North American debut. She raced exclusively in her native France as a 2-year-old, making four starts before changing hands when Mandore International Agency purchased her for the equivalent of $299,430 at last fall's Arqana Arc Sale. Miguel Clement trains Bandiagara for Madaket Stables, Kisber Racing, Bill Strauss, and West Point Thoroughbreds. Happy Destination, Smexy (IRE), Aretha, Flowerhead (IRE), and Brat Pack add further depth to the field.