Wild Catomine, Lexie Lou look to Woodbine Oaks next

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The field for the Woodbine Oaks on June 15 is beginning to take shape after last Saturday’s $150,400 Fury Stakes, a key local prep for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies.

Wild Catomine, trained by Mark Casse and owned by John Oxley, captured her first stakes victory and remained undefeated in the Fury, as she stalked the early pace and held off Hot and Spicy and Lexie Lou in the final strides.

“I thought Gary [Boulanger] rode her really well,” Casse said. “She’s a talented horse.”

Wild Catomine will be making just her third career start in the Woodbine Oaks, although Casse had hoped to run her last winter before the end of the Woodbine meet.

“She trained extremely well in Ocala, but when we got her to Toronto, she just wasn’t herself,” he said. “We just gave her time. I would have liked to have gotten a two-turn race into her before the Oaks, but unfortunately, that’s not going to be the case.”

Casse also was pleased with Lexie Lou’s third-place finish in the Fury, as the filly was making her first start for her new trainer. Casse said he will take off Lexie Lou’s blinkers for the Woodbine Oaks.

As many as five starters from the Fury could come back to race in the Woodbine Oaks. Runner-up Hot and Spicy and fourth-place finisher Gdansk will be pointed to the Oaks, while sixth-place finisher Skylander Girl also is under consideration.

Trainer Roger Attfield also is pointing a pair of fillies to the Oaks after last weekend, as Llanarmon won an allowance race last Friday and Storm Now finished second in a maiden special weight race Sunday.