Obeah Woman eyes first stakes win in Classy 'n Smart
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Obeah Woman will be looking to extend her winning streak to three races when she steps up to face stakes company in Sunday’s $125,000 Classy ’n Smart Stakes over 1 1/16 miles for Ontario-sired fillies and mares.
Obeah Woman has won each of her last two starts over 1 1/8 miles, including a four-length romp in her most recent start against open allowance company Sept. 5. Trainer Barb Minshall said Obeah Woman is in good form.
“She’s doing good,” she said. “She’s run really well. It’s obviously a big step up to a stakes race, but the race looks like it has some speed in it, so we’ll see what happens.”
KEY CONTENDERS
Obeah Woman (Last 3 Beyers: 77-78-78)
◗ Obeah Woman will be making her second stakes start of the year in the Classy ’n Smart. She finished fifth in the Eternal Search Stakes against Ontario-sired 3-year-old fillies in July, putting in a mild rally after finding herself well off the pace in the early going.
“She was far back, and I think she’s just in better form right now,” Minshall said.
Club One Two (Last 3 Beyers: 77-91-83)
◗ She evened out and finished fourth as the favorite in her stakes debut in the Algoma Stakes on Sept. 2.
◗ She entered the Algoma off a 5 1/2-length win in her seasonal debut June 6 and a runner-up effort against stakes-caliber males on July 12. She could be due for a rebound in her second start off a brief layoff.
Flipcup (Last 3 Beyers: 78-71-61)
◗ The Ontario-sired New York-bred returns to Woodbine for the first time in a year and enters the race off a third-place finish in the Saratoga Dew Stakes against New York-breds on Aug. 17.
◗ In her last visit to Woodbine, she finished second over 1 1/16 miles on the Polytrack in the Eternal Search in August 2014.
London Tower (Last 3 Beyers: 79-86-82)
◗ She was supplemented into this race and is cross-entered in Saturday’s La Prevoyante Stakes on the grass. She would be well suited to this spot with lots of speed to run at.
◗ In her last start on the turf in the Grade 3 Ontario Colleen Stakes, she inherited the lead on a slow pace but couldn’t hold off Don’t Leave Me in the late going. Don’t Leave Me just missed in last weekend’s La Lorgnette Stakes on the Polytrack.