Woodbine Oaks fillies rematched in Algoma Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Lorena and Jilli Marie, two fillies exiting the Woodbine Oaks, will meet again in Sunday’s $100,000 Algoma, one of four Tapeta stakes on the Woodbine card for graduates of local yearling sales. The races are a promotional tool for the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society’s Canadian Premier Yearling Sale at the Woodbine Sales Pavilion on Wednesday.

Lorena won her first two appearances at the meet, including the seven-furlong Fury Stakes for Ontario-breds in front-running style July 10. Sent off as the 5-2 second choice in the 1 1/8-mile Oaks, she led until the head of the stretch before fading to finish eighth, 10 1/2 lengths behind victorious Munnyfor Ro, who returned to finish a respectable fourth in the Queen’s Plate.

Trainer Stuart Simon blamed the tight schedule as one of the reasons for Lorena’s subpar showing in the Oaks. A delayed start to the meet due to a pandemic-related government lockdown forced Woodbine to schedule the preps at three-week intervals leading up to the Oaks.

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“I think there were a couple of different factors, mainly [running every] three weeks,” Simon explained. “She went to the lead and had a big target on her. She came out of the race pretty well. She got her energy back and had a nice easy breeze in company the other day. She’s had 28 days off. She’s ready to go.”

Simon said the seven-furlong distance of the Algoma is right up her alley.

“Seven-eighths definitely doesn’t hurt her,” Simon said. “I still think she’ll [go two turns] when the situation is right.”

Jilli Marie was another unbeaten stakes-winning sprinter in the 10-horse Oaks field, in which she finished 13 lengths back in ninth under Steven Bahen. Trainer Katerina Vassilieva felt that she simply didn’t run her race over an unfamiliar distance.

“Coming off a sprint going long, she wasn’t easy to rate,” Vassilieva explained. “She wasted a lot of energy trying to settle down.”

Vassilieva felt that drawing the rail in the Algoma might work against Jilly Marie.

“I just worry about like in the Oaks when there was a lot of traffic, and Steve had a bit of a hard time rating her behind all those horses,” Vassilieva said. “I guess that would be my only concern, that something like that happens where they all come over on her. But I’m probably overthinking it. She’s pretty gutsy.”

Vassilieva said Jilli Marie bounced back out of the Oaks nicely.

“I’m really happy with her,” she said. “I was a little bit worried that she’d lose some condition or some confidence after the last race, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. She’s happy to be training and doing well. She’s coming into this race in good order.”

The $100,000 Elgin at seven furlongs is the male equivalent of the Algoma.

Secret Reserve, who is 2 for 3 and unbeaten in two Tapeta sprints, should be favored in the Elgin. He earned an 83 Beyer Speed Figure romping in his last start in a six-furlong Ontario-sired allowance.

Rafael Hernandez will break Secret Reserve from post 1 for trainer Mike Mattine.

Mason’s Gamble found the mark in each of his last two outings against Ontario-sired opposition, running with maidens and nonwinners-of-two allowance types.

Jelgo led throughout his July 24 debut in a seven-furlong maiden special for Ontario-sired runners that was taken off the turf. Like Secret Reserve, he’s a son of Giant Gizmo.

A stakes winner at 2, Dragon’s Brew won his second start off the sidelines against nonwinners-of-three Ontario-sired company on the grass. An awkward break led to his downfall most recently when fourth in the Lake Huron Stakes.

The $200,000 Muskoka for fillies and the $200,000 Simcoe for colts and geldings are both 6 1/2-furlong sprints for juveniles.

Trainer Kevin Attard has Forest B for the Muskoka and Chairman Bob for the Simcoe. Both are owned by Al and Bill Ulwelling.

Forest B faded to finish ninth after setting a lively pace at first asking, after which she won her maiden in another five-furlong dash.

“First time out, she went real fast early,” Attard recalled. “I don’t think she was ready to go that quick that early and sustain it. Her second race, she went from maiden special weight to maiden Ontario-sired company. That’s a big drop in class. She put it all together. She’s always worked well. We always thought she had some ability, so it was nice to see her win that day.”

Chairman Bob got away slowly before closing quite wide from far back to prevail in his only race in a six-furlong maiden special for Ontario-sired runners.

“He’s always shown some talent,” Attard said. “We’re exited to stretch him out a little bit.”