Callwood Dancer eyes rebound

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Callwood Dancer, last year's female turf champion in Canada, will try to win the $300,000 Nassau Stakes for the second year in a row at Woodbine Saturday. The

1 1/16-mile event has lured nine others, including the gifted American shipper Rutherienne.

Callwood Dancer's first stakes score came in the 2008 Nassau. She went on to finish second in both the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes and the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes, during a campaign in which she banked $578,466.

Callwood Dancer has been idle since her two-race stint in Grade 3 stakes at Gulfstream in February. She finished fifth in the Suwannee River, and was eased in The Very One, an effort that baffled trainer Roger Attfield.

"That was a mystery," said Attfield.

Attfield said he's hoping for firm ground for Callwood Dancer, who has been training to his satisfaction.

"She's in good shape," Attfield said. "I was going to run her at Keeneland, but I decided to start her off in this race."

Rutherienne, based at Belmont with trainer Christophe Clement, is coming off a second in the Grade 2 Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland behind Forever Together, last year's Eclipse Award-winning older female on turf. After winning the 2008 Jenny Wiley, Rutherienne finished third in six consecutive graded stakes, three of which were Grade 1.

Trainer Malcolm Pierce entered Remarkable Remy and Points of Grace in the Grade 2 Nassau. Remarkable Remy is making her first start for Pierce following a layoff of over four months. She captured several listed stakes last year in New York, including the Pebbles.

"She came to me at Keeneland," said Pierce. "She had a real good work last Sunday on the training turf. She's a nice filly with some back-class."

Points of Grace has finished either first or second in her six starts. After winning her debut here on the Polytrack in November, she prevailed in her second try at the first allowance condition on the turf at the Fair Grounds. Points of Grace captured an optional claimer on the Fair Grounds grass March 1, and she was recently victorious here in a third-level optional claimer going short on the Polytrack.

"I just had to get a race into her last time," said Pierce. "This will be her first trip over [Woodbine's turf course]. I definitely think that she's better on turf than she is on the Poly."