Treasureinmyhand tries to stay undefeated

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Treasureinmyhand will try to extend her unbeaten streak to four races Monday at Woodbine, when she will be the heavy favorite in the Grade 1, $274,500 Selene Stakes.

The 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies has also lured a pair of American shippers, Transcendental and Giving Noreen, along with four other locals.

Treasureinmyhand, a speedy Sam-Son Farm homebred by Seeking the Gold, has made her three starts at different venues. She prevailed after a long drive in a six-furlong maiden race March 24 at Fair Grounds, and then won a seven-furlong allowance at Keeneland April 11.

Treasureinmyhand added front bandages for the seven-furlong Fury Stakes here two weeks ago, but they didn't slow her down. She dueled through slow fractions while running into a very strong wind on the backstretch, and drew off to score by 9 1/4 lengths without much urging from Gary Boulanger.

"She's a tremendous filly," said Boulanger, who will ride Treasureinmyhand again on Monday. "It was like she was along for a Sunday stroll. I was basically just along for the ride."

Trainer Mark Frostad said Treasureinmyhand exhibited lots of promise last year.

"I loved her as a 2-year-old," Frostad recalled. "We stopped on her because she had some minor problems. We thought we'd just wait until she was a little more mature. We've brought her along slowly, and it's paying off."

Treasureinmyhand, who will try a route for the first time Monday, is out of stakes winner Classic Reign, who won two 1 1/4-mile stakes on turf. "I don't know how far she'll go," said Frostad, "but her dam won going 1 1/2 miles."

New York shipper Transcendental graduated her second time out, in a one-mile maiden special at Aqueduct. She was second in a 1 1/16-mile allowance just 10 days ago at Belmont under regular rider Edgar Prado.

"She ran a great race the other day," said trainer James Bond. The horse who beat her, Exogenous, said Bond, "is a pretty nice Unbridled filly trained by Scotty Schulhofer. This is a little quick for me to run one back, but she came out of that race well and is just doing so darn good, that I thought we'd go up there and get a chunk" of the purse.

Giving Noreen, based at Churchill Downs with trainer Elliott Walden, comes off a third-place finish in the National Jockey Club Oaks at Sportsman's Park, and was previously second in a minor stakes at Laurel.