Appleby Out to Maintain Hot Woodbine Hand in Natalma

The 15 entries for the Sept. 16 Natalma Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine suggest the one-mile turf race is a wide-open contest, with the CA$500,000 Breeders' Cup qualifier drawing numerous 2-year-old fillies of seemingly comparable ability.

Yet a bettor needs only to examine the connections of Godolphin's Dazzling Star  to understand why the 1-for-3 filly is the 3-1 morning-line favorite. Her trainer, Charlie Appleby, has won with his last seven starters at Woodbine—all in grade 1 company for Godolphin—not losing since Hawkbill  ran eighth in the Northern Dancer Turf Stakes (G1T) on Sept. 15, 2018.

The following day, her British trainer's current win streak began with La Pelosa  in the 2018 Natalma, a race he also took a few years later in 2021 with Wild Beauty . His most recent victories at the Canadian track came last year with Mysterious Night  in the Summer Stakes (G1T) and Modern Games  in the Woodbine Mile Stakes (G1T).

The latter two races are also part of Saturday's card at Woodbine, with Appleby being heavily favored to win the Woodbine Mile with Godolphin's even-money choice Master of The Seas . He does not have a runner in the Summer.

All three races are part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In. The winners of the three races will earn automatic paid berths into Breeders' Cup races this fall at Santa Anita Park. The Natalma is a qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T), while the Summer and Woodbine Mile propel their winners into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) and Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T), respectively. Modern Games won both the Woodbine Mile and Breeders' Cup Mile in 2022.

Discussing Dazzling Star, a daughter of Blue Point  whose 3 1/2-length maiden win at Newmarket June 30 was preceded by an eighth in her June 7 debut and followed by a fourth in the July 29 Princess Margaret Stakes (G3) at Ascot, Appleby said, "She has a similar profile to our other fillies who we have run in the past with success."

She stretches out from six furlongs to a mile over the sweeping E.P. Taylor Turf Course. She has the pedigree to handle the added distance under Appleby's go-to rider, William Buick.

"It is an unknown, but she settles well in her work at home and her half brother (the 3-year-old Bold Act) has won over 10 furlongs," Appleby said.

The competition is led by local stakes winners Airosa  and Golden Canary , part of a group of four fillies that were cross-entered in the CA$500,000 Summer Stakes, a one-mile turf race open to all 2-year-olds. The Summer drew 11 competitors.

My Boy Prince Makes First Start on Grass in Summer

Gary Barber's My Boy Prince , a son of Cairo Prince   coming off two consecutive victories against Canadian-breds, is the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the Summer after capturing the Simcoe Stakes on Woodbine's synthetic Tapeta surface by 14 lengths Aug. 27. The gray/roan colt earned a 109 Equibase Speed Figure in winning that 6 1/2-furlong race in 1:15.48.

The Mark Casse trainee is untested on turf, having made all three of his starts on Tapeta. His dam, Hopping not Hoping , won her only start on grass.

Besides the cross-entered fillies, notable horses in the Summer include With Anticipation Stakes (G3T) runner-up Carson's Run  and debut winner King of the Track .

Supporting the three grade 1 races on the Saturday program at Woodbine is the CA$150,000 Vigil Stakes (G3), a six-furlong sprint on Tapeta led by Patches O'Houlihan , a 3-year-old who is 5-for-5 this year.