Ballade Stakes easier assignment for Artie's Princess

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Canadian champion Artie’s Princess will try to get back on the beam with the aid of some class relief in Sunday’s $100,000 Ballade Stakes for Ontario-sired females at Woodbine.

Based at Belmont Park with trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., Artie’s Princess won the Sovereign Award for champion female sprinter in 2020 when she was trained by Wesley Ward. A dispute between Ward and owner Ken Ramsey eventually led to her being transferred to Joseph, who sent the 5-year-old out to finish fourth behind the next-out stakes winners Boardroom and Dreaming of Drew in the Grade 3 Whimsical off an 11-month layoff here May 8.

“I thought she was pretty fit going into it, but that race worked out pretty good form-wise,” Joseph said. “Hopefully, this is an easier spot for her, to give her a good chance to win.”

Patrick Husbands will break Artie’s Princess from post 9 in a 13-horse field.

“He’s won on her twice before,” Joseph pointed out. “His record speaks for itself. We’re happy to get his services.”

Golden Vision will try to win the six-furlong Ballade for the second year in a row. She rallied from fourth to upset favored Summer Sunday in last year’s edition, but is winless in five starts since then.

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Trainer Tino Attard was content with Golden Vision’s second-place finish in her season opener, a May 14 conditioned allowance.

“She ran a very good race,” Attard said. “She came into that race well and she’s coming into this one in really good order, too. She’s been training well and hopefully she can do what she did in this race last year. She’s always been very consistent.”

Kazushi Kimura has the call on Golden Vision for owners Elizabeth and Gordon Lickrish.

From post 13, the speedy Spanish Ballerina could link up on the lead with Artie’s Princess. She faded to third in the 2021 Ballade and then lost her next six outings before leading all the way in a conditioned allowance in her second run of the season May 14.

Lorena, the 125-pound highweight, dominated restricted 3-year-old filly stakes company last year, during which she won 5 of 7 starts, including four stakes. She was only an early factor in her season debut in the Whimsical, from which Boardroom and Dreaming of Drew both exited to win stakes.

November Fog won a seven-furlong conditioned allowance from a forward position in her April 30 comeback. Surprisingly, she was never in contention most recently in the 1 1/16-mile Belle Mahone Stakes, which was won in gate-to-wire style by Dreaming of Drew.

Hello Friends is coming off an improved fourth in a conditioned allowance in her second start off the sidelines.

Trading Bay began the meet in career form and is exiting a runner-up finish in a first-level allowance.