Mystic Lake comes into Star Shoot off Florida-bred stakes win

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Florida shipper Mystic Lake should be prominent in Woodbine’s opening-day feature Saturday, the $125,000 Star Shoot Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

Based at Palm Meadows with trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., Mystic Lake graduated over the six-furlong distance of the Star Shoot last September in her first of three 2-year-old outings at Woodbine. She subsequently ran second in the Glorious Song Stakes and third in the Grade 3 Mazarine going 1 1/16 miles.

Mystic Lake took the Jan. 13 Gasparilla Stakes in her season opener at Tampa Bay Downs before a front-running fifth in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride on the turf at Gulfstream Park. She wired Florida-breds at a skimpy price most recently in the Sophomore Fillies, another seven-furlong dirt stakes at Tampa, while earning her second straight Beyer Speed Figure in the low 80s.

“I thought [the Sophomore Fillies] was one of her better efforts,” Joseph said. “She finished off the race much stronger than in some of her previous races.”

Joseph was pleased with Mystic Lake’s juvenile form over the Tapeta surface.

“She seems to enjoy it at Woodbine, so we are happy to get her back there,” Joseph said. “As you expect, she has matured and grown from last year to this year.”

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The seven-horse field also includes stakes winner Rosa, who should be rolling late in her first outing since a dull seventh-place finish in the Oct. 15 Glorious Song. She notched her July 8 debut here on the Tapeta before ending up fourth on the grass in the Catch a Glimpse Stakes and then took the Presque Isle Debutante on Tapeta in late September.

“I was a little disappointed with her last performance, but I think she was a little bit over the top at that time,” trainer Kevin Attard said.

Attard said Rosa wintered at Margaux Farm in Kentucky before returning here for a series of half-mile breezes.

“She had a few works there before coming here and had a few good works over this track,” Attard said. “She had a good winter. She came in looking great. I think she’s ready to fire fresh. Hopefully, she’s tight enough. I’m hoping there’s a lot of speed in the race.”

Trainer Mark Casse entered Dancing Duchess, C C Royal, and Winsome Beauty.

Dancing Duchess has been idle since landing the Oct. 8 Algonquin Stakes over males and females going five-eighths on the grass here Oct. 8. She was competitive in 2 of 3 Tapeta starts, all in shorter sprints.

C C Royal could vie for the lead with Mystic Lake. She made all five of her starts on the dirt at Laurel Park, culminating with a five-length score in a seven-furlong allowance/optional claimer March 3, for which she got an 81 Beyer.

Winsome Beauty is adding Lasix off a layoff, which began after she graduated in a one-mile maiden special over Tapeta at Turfway Park on Nov. 29.

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