Woodbine: Dene Court clearly best in Ontario Damsel

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Favored Dene Court toyed with her rivals in Saturday’s $150,000 Ontario Damsel at Woodbine, wining the one-mile turf stakes comfortably for trainer Mark Casse.

Dene Court set quick fractions on an uncontested lead, and prevailed by a length and a quarter in 1:35.14, while being eased up late by Patrick Husbands.

“She a very talented, aggressive filly,” Husbands said. “She always wants to fight with another horse. I was a little bit scared of getting into a speed duel, so I kept her wide down the backstretch. I didn’t mind being wide if I could get her to relax. She showed that she was the class of the race.”

Part the Seas rallied wide to finish a clear second, and Gravelly Bay checked in third in the seven-horse field of Ontario-bred 3-year-old fillies.

Dene Court ($4.80) collected $90,000 in her second consecutive stakes win for Melnyk Racing Stable.

* Man Stuff ($10.20) defeated older opposition after setting slow fractions in Saturday’s other stakes, the $104,000 Sweet Briar Too.

With Eurico Da Silva riding for trainer Nick Gonzalez, Man Stuff covered seven furlongs on the Polytrack in 1:23.03, while beating 2-5 favorite Roxy Gap by a length.