Paladin Bay, My Conquestadory square off in Selene Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Paladin Bay and My Conquestadory, the two best 3-year-old fillies at Woodbine, will meet for the first time going 1 1/16 miles in Sunday’s $150,000 Selene Stakes.

Paladin Bay was a narrow loser to Ria Antonia in the Sovereign Award voting for last year’s champion 2-year-old filly, an award that My Conquestadory was ineligible for because she ran only once in Canada.

Paladin Bay competed nine times at 2, all at Woodbine. She registered victories in a pair of 1 1/16-mile stakes, the Princess Elizabeth and Ontario Lassie.

After wintering in Ontario, Paladin Bay rallied for second under regular rider Gerry Olguin when she came off the sidelines April 19 in the six-furlong Star Shoot Stakes. Trainer Harold Ladouceur, who doubles as Paladin Bay’s exercise rider, loved her comeback race and was enamored with the way she breezed five furlongs in 1:01.40 last Sunday.

“She worked so good,” Ladouceur said. “Gerry Olguin told me it was the best work of her life. As she’s gotten older, her personality has changed a bit, to the good. She’s getting a tiny bit more aggressive. [Olguin] said every time she works, she’s gotten better and better.”

The Grade 3 Selene is Paladin Bay’s final prep for the June 15 Woodbine Oaks. Ladouceur also has the $1 million Queen’s Plate in mind for the daughter of Sligo Bay, who was a $10,000 yearling purchase.

“I might not ever have another chance,” Ladouceur said about why he has kept her eligible for the July 6 Queen’s Plate.

My Conquestadory beat males when she debuted on grass in the Grade 2 Summer Stakes here Sept. 14. She went on to take the Grade 1 Alcibiades over Keeneland’s Polytrack. She may have lost her last race, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, at the draw. After breaking from post 14, she had a wide trip and made the lead at the eighth pole before flattening out to finish a very respectable fourth in that Nov. 1 race at Santa Anita.

My Conquestadory hasn’t started since then because she got hurt, according to trainer Mark Casse.

“She pulled a muscle in her hip in December at Palm Meadows,” Casse said. “She just wasn’t happy. It wasn’t serious, but we took our time with her, and it took a long time. We didn’t rush her, and now she’s back better than ever. She’s been training extremely well. If she were to run well, we could look at other things all over the place.”

Rounding out the tiny field are Midnight Bliss and Cool Faith, who is adding Lasix off an allowance score at Keeneland.

There is no place, show, or trifecta wagering on the race.