Lexie Lou tops Victoriana Field

The five-year-old Sligo Bay mare, trained by Mark Casse for owner Gary Barber, arrives at Saturday's 1 1/16-mile event from a dramatic 1 1/4-length score in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly Stakes on the Queen's Plate undercard.

With a record crowd of 37,063 in attendance, Lexie Lou took no prisoners in the Dance Smartly as she opened up two lengths at the first quarter under regular pilot Patrick Husbands and extended that lead by three lengths over the next two points of call.  However, as Lexie Lou turned for home her lead had dwindled with closers Strut the Course and Nakuti looming large. 

Nakuti appeared to have the better of Lexie Lou with less than a furlong to run, but the 2014 Woodbine Oaks and Queen's Plate champion fought back bravely along the rail to secure a 1 1/4-length score.

"I was in tears after the race. It was so emotional seeing her run. She tried so hard and she wasn't going to let anyone get past her," said Kathryn Sullivan, assistant trainer at Woodbine for Casse. "When Robert Geller (Woodbine's track announcer) called her name, there was a huge roar from the crowd. She's such a fan favourite and it's so nice to see her do well.

"She was switching her tail and I thought she was caught. I actually sat down," continued Sullivan. "But when she came back on, we all jumped back up again."

The feisty Lexie Lou enjoyed a remarkable 2014 campaign in which she earned Sovereign Award honours as Horse of the Year, champion grass mare and champion three-year-old filly.  Seemingly unstoppable as a sophomore, she followed up the Queen's Plate coup with a victory in the grassy Wonder Where Stakes and 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.

Sullivan believes that Lexie Lou is getting better with age.

"She's a quirky little filly and the feistier she is the better she runs. Sometimes that's how it is with fillies, they need that determined streak in them to really be a good horse and to win," said Sullivan. "In that way, it's hard to say she has really matured, but I do think she just keeps getting better and better."

With three wins in four starts on the Woodbine turf, Lexie Lou should be a handful on Saturday while dropping out of graded company to face Ontario-sired stock.

"She ran well in California on the turf but she really does like our turf course. I don't know if it’s the home course advantage but she does well here," said Sullivan.  "It looks like a good spot for her and all systems are go. She had a little work on Saturday (:48.60) and it was an easy work under a hold. Everything looks good going into the weekend."

Lexie Lou's main opposition in the Victoriana will come from Internal Bourbon and stablemate Conquest Strate Up who has won three of five starts, all on the turf at Woodbine.

"She's kind of flown under the radar," said Sullivan of the four-year-old Not Bourbon bay. "I think she's a talented filly and while it's hard going against 'Lexie', who is such a favourite in this barn, I do think 'Strate Up' is a nice filly and she fits in this spot."

Charles Fipke homebred Internal Bourbon, trained by Roger Attfield, also boasts solid credentials on the Woodbine turf with a record of 2-4-1 from eight starts. The four-year-old Not Bourbon chestnut comes into the Victoriana on a two-race win streak including a last-out score in the grassy Zadracarta Stakes.

Sweater Weather, Super Sarah, Shesanaturalblonde and Hidden Turn complete the field.

The Victoriana is slated as Race 8 on Saturday's 10-race card. First post time is 1 p.m. Fans can watch and wager on all the action via HPIBet.Com.