Lexie Lou Refuses to Lose in the Victoriana

Trained by Mark Casse for owner Gary Barber, Lexie Lou found her way to the front under jockey Patrick Husbands and cruised through splits of :23.99, :47.63 and 1:11.96 with recent Zadracarta Stakes winner Internal Bourbon with a nose to her tail.

Lexie Lou, in hand, came under pressure from Internal Bourbon as the field straightened for the stretch run but, with slight urging from Husbands, the five-year-old champion bay mare opened up to win by a length and galloped out strong. Internal Bourbon stayed on for second money, 2 1/2-lengths in front of Shesanaturalblonde.  Lexie Lou covered 1 1/16-miles in 1:41.05.

Husbands was all smiles following Lexie Lou's fourth win from five attempts over the world-famous E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

"Everyone knows she's a real champion and she's tough. She has such a high cruising speed and you can't fight with her," said Husbands. "That horse (Internal Bourbon) came to her and I said 'Come on baby, let's go' and she just took off. After the race, the outrider had to pull her up for me. She's just a racehorse.”

Lexie Lou was dominant in her three-year-old campaign in which she earned Sovereign Award honours as Horse of the Year, champion grass mare and champion three-year-old filly.  

A sparkling win in the Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser, was chased with a Queen's Plate romp over the boys.  Following a victory in the grassy Wonder Where Stakes, third leg of the filly Triple Tiara, Lexie Lou then shipped to California where she won the Grade 3 Autumn Miss at Santa Anita and finished second to Kentucky Derby champ California Chrome in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar.

Since coming home to Woodbine in 2016, Lexie Lou has already won the Grade 2 Nassau and Grade 2 Dance Smartly Stakes.

Lexie Lou, bred in Ontario by Paradox Farm, banked $75,000 in victory while improving her record to 10-4-4 from 24 starts.

 

She paid $2.70, $2.10 and $2.10, combining with Internal Bourbon ($3.20, $2.50) for a $6.40 (1-4) exactor. A 1-4-6 triactor (Shesanaturalblonde, $5.30 to show) was worth $53.10, while a $1 Superfecta [1-4-6-3 (Conquest Strate Up)] came back $46.15.