Fashionably Fab can strengthen Sovereign status in La Prevoyante

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Fashionably Fab will try to bolster her case for Canadian champion older female honors in Saturday’s $100,000 La Prevoyante Stakes at Woodbine. The 1 1/16-mile route for Ontario-sired fillies and mares lured five others, including her Kevin Attard-trained stablemate War Painter.

Fashionably Fab capped a four-race win streak in restricted stakes when taking last year’s La Prevoyante impressively over Talk to Ya Later. This year, the 4-year-old daughter of Silent Name has won the Grade 3 Belle Mahone and Grade 3 Ontario Matron, in which David Moran inherited the mount from his injured son Pietro.

Moving out to 1 1/4 miles in the Grade 3 Maple Leaf, her most recent start, Fashionably Fab reached contention early in the stretch before flattening out to fifth while not far behind her favored stablemate Caitlinhergrtness.

“I’d really like to see her become champion older filly and mare,” Attard said. “This race might help sway some votes her way. It would mean a lot to everybody involved. That’s why we race in Canada.

“I was reluctant to run her that far in the Maple Leaf, but we needed to try. The way the race unfolded, my horses chased each other with a bit of a premature move. I don’t think Fab wants to go that far, but she didn’t disgrace herself and still ran credible.”

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War Painter has been rounding back into peak form after hanging at times during a productive campaign. She came flying in the final furlong to eke out a victory in the Nov. 17 Ashbridges Bay Stakes for Ontario-sired sophomore fillies.

“War Painter is coming back to herself,” Attard said. “She was successful around this time of year last season when running second in the Princess Elizabeth Stakes. Her last race, she really dug in the last 70 yards, unlike what her reputation holds. She was game and got to the wire first.”

Talk to Ya Later ended a drought beating Ontario-sired allowance opponents going three-quarters in August. The versatile 5-year-old ran the race of her life in the 2023 La Prevoyante, in which she got a career-high 85 Beyer while edging out Tito’s Calling for second.

“It was a very good effort in last year’s race,” trainer Ian Black said. “What she really needs is pace up front to run at.”

Tito’s Calling had a very wide trip while rallying for second two starts back in the restricted Eternal Search Stakes on the inner turf. She was beaten just 3 3/4 lengths when seventh most recently in the Grade 3 Bessarabian on the Tapeta.

Hurricane Clair is at the end of a fruitful sophomore season, during which she placed in all three legs of the Canadian Triple Tiara, the highlight of which was a victory in the Wonder Where Stakes. She was a narrowly beaten favorite in the Ashbridges Bay under leading rider Sahin Civaci, who retains the mount.

Rounding out the field is Fortyfiveseventy, who filled out the exacta as a longshot in a Nov. 16 conditioned allowance/optional claimer.

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