Surface switch favors Miss Blakely

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Turf specialist Miss Blakely gets back on her preferred surface Saturday at Woodbine in the $250,000 Wonder Where Stakes, the third leg of the Canadian triple tiara for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies.

Miss Blakely, based at Monmouth with trainer by Joe Orseno, has come a long way since she graduated with a $25,000 claiming tag in December. She won back-to-back turf races during the latter part of the Gulfstream meet, most notably the one-mile Boynton Beach Stakes. Miss Blakely shipped here June 7 for the first tiara race, the $503,200 Woodbine Oaks, and nosed out favored Wynning Ride for third in her first start on Polytrack.

Orseno said he was pleased with Miss Blakely's performance in the nine-furlong Oaks.

"The change of surface was a big test for her," Orseno said. "She battled with [Wynning Ride], and showed some determination to be third."

Orseno said he has been pointing Miss Blakely to the 1 1/4-mile Wonder Where.

"After the Oaks, I decided that I didn't want to run her again until this race," Orseno said. "I know she moves up on the grass, and the way she's training, I think she'll handle [the distance] fine. She's doing very well."

Trainer Mark Casse entered Tasty Temptation and Retraceable.

Tasty Temptation missed the break in the Oaks, and then made a big wide move on the far turn before flattening out to finish a clear second. Two weeks later, she was wheeled back into the Queen's Plate and wound up a respectable fourth against the boys.

Tasty Temptation was sixth in her lone grass try, which came over Santa Anita's hillside course. She is taking the blinkers off after having worn them for six straight races.

Retraceable rallied for third in her belated season debut on the grass in the June 7 Alywow Stakes. In the second tiara leg, which came on Polytrack in the Bison City Stakes, she could only manage sixth as the heavy favorite.

Dance for Us captured the 1 1/16-mile Bison City by nose over the 48-1 maiden Flashy Got Even, earning just a 74 Beyer Figure. She finished third in her lone turf attempt, which came in a first-level allowance June 6.

Forest Uproar won her debut going a mile on the grass in June, and followed it up with a narrow loss in a 1 1/4-mile allowance.