Shippers look strong in Alywow

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Fleet Streak and Pull Dancer, both based south of the border, should give the locals a run for the money in Sunday's Alywow, one of two supporting stakes on the Woodbine Oaks Day program.

The Alywow, a 6 1/2-furlong turf race for 3-year-old fillies, is an overnight stakes offering a purse of $100,000. It attracted a field of nine.

Fleet Streak, a Kentucky-bred trained by David Carroll, will be cutting back in distance after an eventful trip in a first-level allowance over one mile of turf at Churchill Downs on April 30.

"She's a very aggressive filly," Carroll said. "We questioned whether she'd go two turns, but we felt she deserved an opportunity. We kind of got the tactics wrong a little bit."

Fleet Streak was well back early and had a wide trip while battling her rider, and Carroll believed she did very well to be beaten just two lengths as the fifth-place finisher.

"She's got a bit of talent but mentally she's tough," Carroll said. "She wants her way."

In her only previous outings, which came over 5 1/2 furlongs of turf at Fair Grounds, Fleet Streak won her maiden on Jan. 9 and finished second to stablemate Selva in the $60,000 Mardi Gras Feb. 24.

Selva shipped into Woodbine to capture the Glorious Song here last fall and most recently was second in Keeneland's Gradeo2 Beaumont.

"If [Fleet Streak] runs the way she's capable of running, she should be very competitive there," Carroll said. "But in the back of my mind, off that last race, I'm worried how that might affect her."

Pull Dancer, a Kentucky-bred, is making the trek from Belmont for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin along with Academicienne, a contestant in the Woodbine Oaks.

Owned by Cam Allard, Pull the Dancer is coming off a closing half-length score under jockey Alan Garcia in a first-level allowance over six furlongs of Belmont turf.

"I think the 6 1/2 furlongs will be perfectly suited for her," McLaughlin said. "I have Alan there, and we'll try to get some black type for her."

Woodsmoke will be returning to a sprint and trying turf for the first time after coming up short on the trail to the Woodbine Oaks. After beginning her spring here with back-to-back scores in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden race and the seven-furlong Fury, Woodsmoke stretched out to 1 1/16 miles for the La Lorgnette and opened a long lead only to tire badly and finish eighth.

"I sent her to the farm after the La Lorgnette," trainer Michael Keogh said. "She had a week up there. She was just turned out."