La Dragontea steps up for Canadian Stakes
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Christophe Clement took the opening race of Woodbine’s Ladies of the Lawn series, the Grade 2 Dance Smartly, with Mutamakina. The New York trainer went to his bench for Saturday’s second leg, the Grade 2, $250,000 Canadian, in which he’s running the improving La Dragontea.
La Dragontea was a minor winner in England last year on the synthetic surface at Chelmsford. She was sent to Clement this year and won her first start on this side of the pond on May 7, going gate to wire in a 1 1/4-mile allowance at Belmont.
After a troubled sixth-place finish in a second-level allowance at Belmont in June, La Dragontea wound up fourth after a wide trip over soft ground in the Grade 3 Robert G. Dick Memorial going 1 3/8 miles at Delaware. She’s exiting a second-level allowance score traveling 1 3/16 miles over a yielding Saratoga course under Joel Rosario, who retains the mount Saturday.
“She’s doing well,” assistant trainer Miguel Clement said. “She’s looking for some black type, and this looks like an ideal spot for her, to be honest. The filly’s been a great addition to the stable, and we’re looking forward to seeing her run.”
Merveilleux was second to Curlin’s Voyage in the 2020 Sovereign Award voting for champion 3-year-old filly. The highlight of that campaign was a victory in the final leg of the Canadian Triple Tiara, the 1 1/4-mile Wonder Where Stakes for Canadian-breds.
Merveilleux was a flat fifth in two straight graded stakes to start her campaign. She ran what was arguably the race of her life when third in the 1 1/4-mile Dance Smartly, finishing just three-quarters of a length in arrears after closing from sixth.
“She’d trained good all year,” trainer Kevin Attard said. “The first couple of races were a little disappointing. It seems like she just needed that distance” in the Dance Smartly.
Our Secret Agent was supplemented by trainer Mark Casse. The consistent and versatile 4-year-old has finished either second or third in six consecutive stakes since winning a first-level allowance in August 2020.
In her first and only turf outing on July 24, Our Secret Agent rallied for third behind favored Jolie Olimpica and Abscond in the Grade 2, one-mile Nassau. She’s coming off a second behind leading local female sprinter Boardroom in the Grade 3 Seaway.
Court Return is winless in eight starts since landing the restricted Eternal Search Stakes in August 2020, after which she finished third in the 1 1/8-mile Canadian and second in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor. She’s coming off a respectable fourth in the Dance Smartly.
Rounding out the compact field is Barkin, who returned from a 10-month layoff to land a first-level allowance on the Tapeta on Aug. 13. The daughter of Animal Kingdom crushed maidens at 1 1/4 miles on the grass last October, scoring by a widening 6 3/4 lengths.
The Ladies of the Lawn series culminates with the Grade 1, $600,000 E.P. Taylor over 1 1/4 miles on Oct. 17.