ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Lupa has worked strongly for her return from a seven-month layoff, and her ability to fire fresh makes her a player in Sunday’s eighth race at Woodbine, a conditioned allowance with a $50,000 claiming option on the inner turf. An Irish-bred trained by Josie Carroll, Lupa was all the rage when debuting last June going the 1 1/16-mile distance of Sunday’s race on the inner turf. Sent off as the 5-2 favorite, the diminutive filly tracked the leaders in third before making her move on the far turn en route to handy score. Lupa came up empty in July in the Grade 3 Ontario Colleen, but she got back on the beam when going gate to wire in a 1 1/16-mile allowance on the Tapeta in August, for which she got a 78 Beyer Speed Figure. Lupa got the winter off after back-to-back double-digit losses at this level on the Tapeta in the fall. The daughter of world-renowned turf sire Lope de Vega has recorded six consecutive five-furlong works since early May, including a visually impressive breeze in 1:00.20 under jockey Fraser Aebly June 1. The other fillies and mares in the seven-horse field are Crystal Visions, Romantica, Aspen Dawn, Design, Princess Anastasia, and Valence. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Stakes-placed Crystal Visions missed the board in both the Woodbine Oaks and Bison City Stakes last year. Her fall form was much improved, however, and she cleared the first allowance condition going seven furlongs in late September. She has finished second in each of her last three outings at this level, most recently in her May 17 season opener. Crystal Visions is questionable on the grass, over which she was unplaced in her only start in a stakes during her juvenile season. Keveh Nicholls has the mount for trainer Stuart Simon. Romantica is returning from a one-year break following a series of fast drills on the Tapeta and the turf training course. The 5-year-old got a 76 Beyer when beating non-winners of two over 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf last June. Trainer Mark Casse has respectable numbers with six-month-plus layoff runners and has booked Romero Maragh for the mount. Casse also entered Aspen Dawn, who was a slow-starting third behind Crystal Visions off a long layoff May 17. Design won two in a row here last fall, including a first-level allowance route on the inner course. She was freshened after two straight lackluster performances early in the winter at Gulfstream Park, after which she changed trainers, going from Marty Drexler to Mike Wright Jr., who entered her for the $50,000 claiming option. Princess Anastasia is making her first start on the grass off a fading fourth traveling seven furlongs in her May 17 season opener. She’s bred for the turf on the dam’s side and has been working quickly over the turf training course for trainer Darwin Banach. Valence is getting back on Lasix following a 13-month absence in her first try for hot trainer Dale Desruisseaux. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.