Woodbine: Two Breeders' Cup possibilities for Northern Passion

Northern Passion, a Canadian-bred who is owned by Oxley, breezed five furlongs in a bullet 59.60 seconds with Luis Contreras in the irons here at Woodbine Sunday morning.

“She was spectacular,” said Casse. “I think she’s a really good horse. The more I do with her, the better I think she is.”

While she has earned a guaranteed berth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf by virtue of her victory here in the Grade 3 Natalma, Northern Passion also is under consideration for the Juvenile Fillies on the main track at Churchill Downs.

Northern Passion soon will begin her preparations for either eventuality as she was scheduled to van to Louisville on Tuesday along with stablemate Golden History

Also highly regarded by Casse, Golden History won at first asking over seven furlongs here Oct. 2 and could make his next appearance in the Grade 2, $150,000 Pocahontas, a one-mile race for 2-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs on Oct. 30.

Pre-race worries take toll on Tu Endie Wei

Tu Endie Wei was back at Woodbine last Saturday after finishing seventh in last Friday’s Grade 1 Alcibiades at Keeneland.

“She basically lost the race on post parade,” said Reade Baker, who trains the Kentucky-bred Tu Endie Wei for her owner and breeder Brereton C. Jones. “She was perfect until I put the saddle on her; then she started to get upset in the surroundings and got pretty wound up in the paddock. Because of that she missed the break, and the race was over.”

Stars to Shine needs surgery

Stars to Shine, the Woodbine-based filly who finished just 3 1/4 lengths behind the winner as the fifth-place finisher in Sunday’s Grade 1 Spinster at Keeneland, emerged from the race with a condylar fracture which will require surgery.

“She’ll stay in Kentucky, have an operation, and then come back here to do some rehab,” said Mark Frostad, who trains the 4-year-old Stars to Shine for a group which includes British trainer Ed Vaughan.

Stars to Shine was coming into the 1 1/8-mile Spinster off a solid third-place finish here in the Grade 2 Canadian over 1 1/8 miles of turf.

Prior to that, the Kentucky-bred had become a stakes winner in the Belle Mahone over 1 1/8 miles of Polytrack.