Infinite Patience fresh for Woodbine Oaks

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Lorne Richards became the 100th different trainer to win a race at the pandemic-shortened Woodbine meet when he sent out Hell N Wild to win last Sunday’s featured second-level optional claimer.

Richards will have bigger fish to fry Saturday when he sends out the fleet-of-foot British Columbia-bred Infinite Patience in the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks.

Owned by her breeder, William DeCoursey, and Edmonton Oilers star forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Infinite Patience went 5 for 5 on the dirt at Hastings last year without being threatened. After the Hastings stakes schedule revealed few opportunities for her during an abbreviated 2020 meet, trainer Barbara Heads sent her to Woodbine for the seven-furlong Fury Stakes on Tapeta, in which she finished third after setting the pace in her first start in nearly nine months.

Woodbine-based Richards assumed the training duties for Infinite Patience after the Fury on July 5. He opted to bypass the Grade 3 Selene Stakes on July 25 and train her up to the Oaks because the hot Toronto summer was in stark contrast to the cooler Vancouver weather.

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“She doesn’t really care for the heat that much,” Richards said. “But she’s doing well now, about as well as you could hope under the circumstances. We had to kind of rush her along, but the owners were understanding, waiting the six weeks instead of running her back in three weeks and then in 20 days. I think this was the better way to go, having a fresh horse. There are three races for Canadian-breds. We’ll take it one race at a time and see what happens. I don’t think the distance will hurt her at all.”

The nine-furlong Oaks kicks off the Canadian Triple Tiara. It will be followed by the $250,000 Bison City Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on the Tapeta on Sept. 12 and the $250,000 Wonder Where Stakes going 1 1/4 miles on the grass Oct. 25.

Richards felt that her Fury performance was good, considering that she had shipped in on top of the race. She received a career-high 84 Beyer Speed Figure, and runner-up Justleaveitalone came right back to beat older maidens.

“It was asking a lot,” Richards explained. “She got a decent number, and the second-place horse came back and won. She doesn’t seem to run a bad race. She likes to train, but she’s pretty laid back. She doesn’t get herself too wound up. That’s the good part about her.”

Emma-Jayne Wilson will retain the mount on Infinite Patience in her quest to become the first female rider to win the Oaks. She remains the lone female to capture the prestigious Queen’s Plate, doing so on Mike Fox in 2007.