Curlin's Voyage skims rail to victory in Woodbine Oaks

When the most talented horse in a race covers the least amount of ground, good things usually happen. That was the case in Saturday's $500,000 Woodbine Oaks as favored Curlin's Voyage parlayed a rail skimming ride by jockey Patrick Husbands to victory.

Hill`n`Dale Equine's 3-year-old filly by Curlin settled well off of the early pace set by Infinite Patience and quickly glided past horses up the backstretch without being asked.

The Josie Carroll-trained filly wrestled the lead away from the tiring Infinite Patience turning for home and Husbands simply had to point this impressive winner in the right direction in the stretch.

"I told myself, 'I'm on the best horse,' so when I reached the five-eighths pole, I was looking for any holes," noted Husbands. "The first hole that opened up, I was clear of that one and then the second hole opened up by the three-eighths pole, and then at the quarter pole the other one opened up and it was all sailing from there." 

It was a very formful race as co-second choices Afleet Katherine, second, and Merveilleux, third, rounded out the trifecta. Curlin's Voyage paid $4.70 to win. 

Winner of the Fury Stakes in her last start, Curlin's Voyage improved to five wins from nine career starts after stopping the clock in 1:50.04 in the Woodbine Oaks. This is significant as the boys completed the same 1 1/8-mile distance in 1:50.61 earlier in the card.

"She's a very special filly; a very, very special filly,” praised Carroll. “I think we knew what we had from the start when we were very bold and put her against the boys the first time out in a stake. It's not something you do lightly; you have to think one's special. 

The improving filly would be one of the favorites if she was to take on the males in the $1 million Queen's Plate on Sept. 12 for her next start.