Il Malocchio must choose between Selene, Fury stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – It’s crunch time for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies aiming to the Aug. 1 Woodbine Oaks, and there are several nominees to the $500,000 Canadian classic in Woodbine’s two Saturday stakes – the Grade 3, $150,000 Selene and the $125,000 Fury for Canadian-breds.

Trainer Marty Drexler entered Il Malocchio in both the 1 1/16-mile Selene and the seven-furlong Fury. She won the 7 1/2-furlong Victorian Queen Stakes on the inner turf in September, before ending up second in the 1 1/16-mile Princess Elizabeth Stakes on the Tapeta. She was competitive in two of her three U.S. starts this year when trained by Ken McPeek, and was reunited with Drexler after finishing second in an April 21 allowance at Keeneland.

Drexler said he’s unsure about where to run Il Malocchio, a Frank Meli homebred by Souper Speedy.

“We’ll have a look at both,” Drexler said. “Having a two-turn race over the synthetic I think is a pretty major deal. She’s in good order. She’s had a few of half-assed breezes. I didn’t do a whole lot with her. I’m relying on her back-fitness a little bit here. She’s been here a month and hasn’t missed a day of training. She looks really good.”

Trainer Mark Casse entered Our Flash Drive, California Lily, and Danger in the Selene, along with Curlin’s Catch and Astrological in the Fury.

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Florida-bred Our Flash Drive returned from a long layoff to win a seven-furlong maiden-special convincingly here June 19.

“We thought she was one of our best 2-year-olds last year,” Casse said. “I sent her to New York, and she didn’t run as good as we’d hoped. We gave her a break. I thought her last race was really good. The distance shouldn’t be a problem.”

Curlin’s Catch looked like a prospect for the Kentucky Oaks after capturing the Suncoast Stakes on Feb. 6 at Tampa, after which she was a distant fifth in both the Grade 1 Ashland and Grade 2 Davona Dale.

“She ran against the best around,” Casse said. “She struggled the last race or two, and we gave her a break and sent her to Woodbine. I’m not sure if she likes the Tapeta as much as she likes the dirt. She has trained better lately, so we’ll see.”

Unbeaten Lorena could be favored in the Fury. She dominated Ontario-sired opposition in both of her races, winning her maiden by 7 1/2 lengths in November and taking her June 19 season opener against older opposition by three lengths with an 81 Beyer Speed Figure.

Kentucky-bred Gote Go is an obvious contender in the Selene. She graduated going long on the Tapeta in November and is coming off a fast allowance score on the grass at Churchill.