Alda Carries Win Streak Into Grade 1 Natalma Stakes

After posting a narrow victory in the Catch a Glimpse Stakes Aug. 23 on the Woodbine turf, Wertheimer et Frere homebred Alda will return to that course for her graded stakes debut in the CA$250,000 Natalma Stakes (G1T) Sept. 20.

The one-mile test for juvenile fillies, a Breeders' Cup Challenge event for the Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T), has attracted seven entries.

Alda, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Munnings , will stretch out for a third straight race after rallying from sixth to earn a nose victory in the 6 1/2-furlong Catch a Glimpse. Trained by Graham Motion, Alda finished third in her maiden debut in June going five furlongs at Belmont Park before earning her initial victory July 9 in a maiden race at six furlongs on the Belmont turf. 

Even in her lone loss, Alda displayed plenty of talent, rallying from 14 lengths out to finish just 1 1/4 lengths behind winner Wink. The effort was flattered by Wink winning the Colleen Stakes in her next start Aug. 2 at Monmouth Park before being shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to finish second in the Prix d'Arenberg (G3) at ParisLongchamp.

In the Catch a Glimpse, Alda edged Dreaming of Drew, who also is entered in the Natalma. Hoolie Racing Stable's Dreaming of Drew, a daughter of Speightster , was making her turf debut in the Catch a Glimpse after a pair of maiden starts on Woodbine's all-weather surface, finishing second in June before winning by six lengths in July.

Trainer Roger Attfield saw enough in Lady Speightspeare's initial start, a 3 3/4-length victory in a maiden race at seven furlongs Aug. 22 at Woodbine, to enter the daughter of Speightstown  in the Natalma.

"I think she probably did it a little more fashionably than I would have expected," Attfield said of her initial frontrunning win under Emma-Jayne Wilson, who is named to ride Sunday. Lady Speightspeare then impressed Attfield with a five-furlong breeze in :58 3/5 Sept. 13 on the Woodbine training track, earning the bullet among seven working at the distance that day.

Attfield will be seeking his third Natalma victory after winning with future Canadian Horse of the Year and Canadian Hall of Famer Alywow in 1993 and with Llanarmon 20 years later.

Trainer Mark Casse, who with seven wins has the most Natalma victories of any trainer, has entered Sleek Lynx, a maiden who finished second despite racing wide and being bumped in her initial start in a July 23 maiden race at one mile on the Gulfstream Park turf. The daughter of War Front  campaigned by Gary Barber has turned in four workouts since Aug. 23, including a bullet move Aug. 30 in which she completed five furlongs on the Woodbine turf in :58 1/5.

"She's a nice filly—probably should have won her first start," Casse said. "She's a filly we've been high on since we got her. I didn't think there was any way she could get beat, but she did. But she's trained well, and I would expect her to run well."

Entries: Natalma S. (G1T)

Woodbine, Sunday, September 20, 2020, Race 9

• Grade IT
• 1m
• Turf
• $250,000
• 2 yo Fillies
• 5:35 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Stunning Princess (KY)	Kazushi Kimura	121	Danny Gargan	12/1
2	2Seasons (KY)	Luis Contreras	121	James J. Toner	10/1
3	3Sleek Lynx (GB)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	121	Mark E. Casse	8/1
4	4Dreaming of Drew (ON)	Justin Stein	121	Barbara J. Minshall	2/1
5	5Alda (KY)	Steven Ronald Bahen	121	H. Graham Motion	9/5
6	6Lady Speightspeare (KY)	Emma-Jayne Wilson	121	Roger L. Attfield	5/2
7	7Big Big Plans (ON)	Larry Munoz	121	Nicholas Gonzalez	20/1