Woodbine roundup: No Time takes Oaks, 1 of 4 Sunday stakes
No Time under Hall of Fame jockey John Velázquez blew past her stablemates Sunday to win the 70th edition of the US$365,667 Woodbine Oaks.
Trainer Mark Casse had five chances to notch his record-tying fifth Oaks crown. As to which one of Ella It Is, No Time, Shifty, War Signal or Winterberry it could be, not even he was certain.
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“I think No Time is a sleeper,” Casse said this week. “She is another one that if she is happy, she is going to be tough.”
No Time was both.
Owned by Gary Barber, the dark bay filly headed into the biggest race in the country for Canada-foaled 3-year-old fillies without a stakes victory on her résumé.
In front of a large crowd, the daughter of Not This Time out of Red Ransom mare Count to Three put on a show in her fourth stakes engagement.
It was a scramble for the early lead in the field of 12 3-year-old fillies. Winterberry from post 11 rocketed from the gate to strike front. Crystal Visions settled into second followed by Shifty, the slight 2-1 favorite, and War Signal. No Time, in the famous hot pink and black silks of Barber, was sixth behind an opening quarter-mile in 22.97 seconds.
Winterberry continued to show the way through a half-mile in 46.47 seconds in front of Crystal Visions and Shifty. No Time improved to fourth. The pacesetter still was clear through three-quarters of a mile in 1:10.97, but No Time loomed a major presence heading into the turn for home as did Aristella, who came calling four wide.
Along the inside, Shifty struck front in early stretch and was on top by a shrinking half-length at the stretch call. That was when No Time took over, driving clear under steady handling to record a 3 3/4-length win with a time of 1:50.14. Shifty was second, 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Winterberry. D’aurum closed willingly to take fourth.
“We know it’s going to be a lot of pace in the race, so I wanted to see how it developed and developed in front of us,” said Velázquez, who was a first-time Oaks winner. “She held her ground pretty well going to the first turn, so kind of held it there. By the time she got to the backstretch, she switched and got a little bit on the bridle a little sooner than I wanted to, so I kind of give and take a little bit. By the time we got to the half-mile pole, I just kind of kept it nice and easy.
“And then I didn’t want to make a premature move, but let her do whatever she was doing, easy at the same time the quarter pole came, and she switched on down the lane, and she gave another gear.”
It was the fifth Oaks triumph for Casse, now tied with Jim Day for the most by a trainer.
No Time is 8: 3-0-1. Steadied sharply in her career bow in August when she was eighth, she won next time out with Velázquez aboard in a 1 1/16-mile turf race Sept. 14 at Woodbine.
Bred by James Everatt, Janeane Everatt and Arika Everatt-Meeuse, No Time was a US$250,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga select yearling sale.
The Woodbine Oaks has served as a King’s Plate steppingstone for fillies. Oaks-Plate champions include Moira in 2022, Holy Helena in 2017, Lexie Lou in 2014, Inglorious in 2011 and Dancethruthedawn in 2001. In 2018 Oaks runner-up Wonder Gadot went on to win Plate as did Caitlinhergrtness in 2024.
“I think if she can do that again and relax the first part, obviously the way she did today, I think she has a very good chance,” Velázquez of a possible date in the Plate on Aug. 16.
No Time paid $15.50 for Sunday’s win.
Sedburys Ghost wins Plate Trial
Sedburys Ghost under Ryan Munger announced himself as a key contender for the King’s Plate on Aug. 16 after conjuring up a strong performance in the US$109,263 Plate Trial Stakes.
Unbridled Weather and Scorching went head to head for the early lead with Unbridled Weather securing the front coming out of the first turn in the 1 1/8-mile, synthetic-track race for 3-year-olds foaled in Canada. Sedburys Ghost was nestled into sixth spot by Munger after an opening quarter-mile in 22.84 seconds.
It was Unbridled Weather on top by a head after the pace slowed through a half-mile in 47.22 seconds. Sedburys Ghost still was positioned sixth of nine heading into the turn for home.
Scorching, now in charge, was hounded to his outside by long shot Forty N Five. Multiple stakes winner Notorious Gangster, who resided near the back of the pack, came calling with an energetic outside move. Scorching dug in along the inside, but Sedburys Ghost kept coming and eventually wore down his rival with less than 100 yards to the wire.
Sedburys Ghost crossed the line 1 1/4 lengths on top. Notorious Gangster was second, one length in front of Scorching. Watsonville Red rallied to finish fourth. The final time was 1:50.37.
“These quality horses are like push buttons,” Munger said. “You just give them a clear run, and they give it to you. My job as the pilot was just to get them around nice and relaxed and set them alight at the right time.”
Barb Minshall, who trains for owner and breeder Yawen Wu, was elated by the effort from the chestnut gelding.
“I kind of like the pace in a way, because I knew he’d close, and Ryan found a good trip,” Minshall said. “I knew if he found clean run at the end. At top of the lane I was really confident in him today.”
Sedburys Ghost arrived at the Plate Trial off a fourth in the 1 1/16-mile Marine Stakes (G3) on June 28.
“I thought he had a little bit of a trouble trip in the Marine,” Minshall said. “I thought he could have won that as well as any of the horses, so I was real confident going here.”
Wu also was thrilled with the win.
“It’s very exciting because it’s kind of a struggle where you have a small amount of mares,” Wu said. “But now this just gave me confidence, and I’m thinking I will probably get some more.”
The son of 2015 Queen’s Plate winner Shaman Ghost out of Sligo Bay mare Hurricane Mimi is 5: 3-0-1. Third in his debut in May 2024, he reeled off consecutive wins including a 3 1/4-length victory over six furlongs June 8 to kick off his 3-year-old campaign.
Sedburys Ghost paid $16.80 for the Plate Trial win.
Ready for Shirl breaks through in Canadian
Ready for Shirl earned her first graded-stakes success in dramatic fashion in the US$145,685 Canadian Stakes (G2) on the Woodbine turf.
The Canadian, a 1 1/8-mile race for fillies and mares, 3 and up, went off with six hopefuls.
Multiple Group 1 winner Gimme a Nother, making her first start in Canada, took early control and was followed closely by as Life’s an Audible, Scarlet Poppy and Crevalle d’Oro as Emma-Jayne Wilson, aboard Ready for Shirl, settled the Roger Attfield trainee into fifth through a modest opening quarter-mile in 24.60 seconds.
Gimme a Nother, making her fourth North America appearance since winning the first seven starts of her career in South Africa, maintained her half-length advantage through a half-mile in 49.37 seconds. Ready for Shirl, who had come into the Canadian off a sharp second to Ocean Club in the one-mile Nassau Stakes (G2) on June 28, waited for her cue from Wilson around the turn for home.
Still in charge at the head of the lane, Gimme a Nother then braced for the challenge of multiple rivals in mid-stretch including an outside burst from revved up Ready for Shirl, who looked to reel in the pacesetter with little runway left.
At the wire the 4-year-old bay filly collared Gimme a Nother to win by a head. Venencia came flying late to finish third, a neck behind the runner-up. Scarlet Poppy was fourth.
The final time over good going was 1:49.57.
“She’s been training exceptional,” Wilson said of the multiple graded-stakes-placed filly. “Her last breeze last week on the training track turf was quite stellar both physically and mentally. And so she kind of telegraphed to us that she was going to showcase a big day today, and she showed up exactly as we expected.
Wilson has made a strong return to the saddle in 2025 after suffering serious racing-related injuries last year.
“It’s absolutely fun,” she said.? “It’s fun to be back in the tack. It’s fun to be back in the winner’s circle. It’s just fun to be here.”
It was the biggest win to date for Ready for Shirl, now 12: 4-2-1 for owner and breeder Charles Fipke.
“I remember saying her last work. It was as good as she’s ever worked for me,” said Attfield, who is in the Canada and U.S. halls of fame. “She’s carrying more weight than she’s ever carried before, and since her last race she’s put weight on. I’ve always had problems keeping weight on this filly, so she was indicating that she’s rounding into a really nice filly now.”
Bred in Kentucky, the daughter of More Than Ready is out of Perfect Soul mare Perfect Shirl, the latter two both trained by Attfield and bred and owned by Fipke. She broke her maiden in her debut, a 3 1/2-length score at 1 1/16 miles over the Keeneland turf April 13, 2024.
Ready for Shirl paid $14.50 for the win.
Cruden Bay wins 2nd straight Connaught Cup
Cruden Bay made a storybook return to racing, winning the US$151,913 Connaught Cup (G2) for the second straight year.
Away from racing action since August due to injury, 7-year-old Cruden Bay came back in a big way for owner Michael Lay and trainer Don MacRae.
It was Kehoe Beach, the 3-5 choice on the toteboard, who took early command of the seven-furlong race for 3-year-olds and up. He powered to the front to hold a one-length lead after an opening quarter in 23.45 seconds over firm turf. Fraser Aebly, in the irons of Cruden Bay, settled his late-running charge into ninth of 10.
Keho Beach, winner of last year’s Mrs. Revere (G2) at Churchill, continued to show the way, a half-length clear of I’m a Gambler through a half-mile in 46.05 seconds while Cruden Bay remained ninth.
When the field turned for home, Kehoe Beach attempted to dash away from his pursuers but quickly found himself under siege from both sides. Cruden Bay, fourth and gaining at the stretch call, continued to gobble up ground to the outside and then powered to the lead with ease en route to a 1 1/2-length score. Northern Invader was second, Piper’s Factor third and Kehoe Beach fourth.
The final time was 1:21.98.
“When we hit the head of the lane, I knew I started to smooch at him a little bit, and he started to pick up the bridle, and it was just whether we found our spot to go,” Aebly said. “He sure gave me everything he had when he found it.”
Bred in Ontario by Spring Farm, Cruden Bay won his debut Nov. 14, 2020, at Woodbine. He is 24: 7-9-1.
“Around the three-eighths pole, I did say to Michael (Lay) we got a lot of horse,” MacRae said. “And when you know this horse, you know how hard he tries. It’s just amazing. ... We’re a small team, but we bust our butts every day, and I’m so proud of everyone right now.”
Cruden Bay was a US$32,780 purchase at the 2019 Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society sale of Canada-bred yearlings.
The gelded son of Big Screen out of Bold Executive mare Executive Affair paid $20.20 for the win.