Shamans Girl, others prep for Woodbine Oaks in Fury Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies will prep for the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks on July 20 in Saturday’s $125,000 Fury Stakes. Shamans Girl could get back on track in the seven-furlong Tapeta sprint.

Owned by Stronach Stables, Shamans Girl made quite a splash when debuting against restricted opposition in the Dec. 2 Shady Well Stakes. After trailing the six-horse field on the backstretch, she closed strongly under Ryan Munger to win the six-furlong sprint going away by 3 1/2 lengths with a 72 Beyer Speed Figure.

“It was such a great effort,” trainer Harold Ladouceur said. “Ryan gave her a great ride and she did it very professionally. She didn’t run like it was the first race of her career. Everything went right.”

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Shamans Girl has started once since, finishing a distant fifth in the seven-furlong Wide Country Stakes on dirt at Laurel Park on Feb. 24.

“I don’t think she liked the deep track,” Ladouceur said. “I think the longer she goes, the better she will be. The goal is to race in the Woodbine Oaks, but we’ll take things day by day for now.”

Trainer Mark Casse has won the Fury a record seven times, most recently a year ago with Ticker Tape Home. He sends out Olivia Rose and Lunch With Bernie in the eight-horse field.

The speedy Olivia Rose ran second to War Painter in the Victorian Queen Stakes in September before taking the Oct. 28 South Ocean Stakes by 6 1/2 lengths with a big 88 Beyer. She was softened up in a speed duel when a tired sixth in her May 4 comeback against Ontario-sired allowance stock.

Lunch With Bernie took six starts to land her maiden and finally got the job done in her final 2023 outing in December. After a bit of a sluggish beginning, she checked in fourth in her seasonal bow in a seven-furlong allowance with a quality field.

Rafael Hernandez has the call on Olivia Rose and Patrick Husbands rides Lunch With Bernie.

Novel is making her stakes debut after upsetting the heavily favored War Painter in her season opener in Ontario-sired allowance company. The 74 Beyer she got for that gutsy performance puts her in the ballpark.

Trainer Sid Attard entered Bravo Kate and the supplemented Red Samurai.

Bravo Kate has been idle since she was promoted from fifth to fourth by disqualification in the Nov. 25 Princess Elizabeth Stakes for Canadian-breds. Her best race was arguably a second to stablemate Babbo when facing males in an open allowance Nov. 4.

Red Samurai got a 75 Beyer in her gate-to-wire maiden special weight score going six furlongs in her first run of the year May 18.

More Money Hunny is starting for the first time since finishing third in the 1 1/16-mile Princess Elizabeth, during which she rallied belatedly from far back after blowing the break.

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