Watsdachances Takes Aim at Dance Smartly

A solid field of 10 older fillies and mares will face off July 5 at Woodbine in the $200,000 Dance Smartly Stakes (Can-IIT) going nine furlongs over the turf.

Solid Appeal, the 123-pound highweight, seeks to regain form following a lack of competitive ability in her past three races. She most recently was 10th in the Distaff Turf Mile (gr. IIT) at Churchill Downs, beaten 11 lengths, but last season she won the Nassau Stakes (Can-IIT) at a flat mile at Woodbine, then ran well to be beaten two lengths in the Diana (gr. IT) at Saratoga Race Course.

Watsdachances most recently won the Gallorette Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Pimlico Race Course on the May 16 Xpressbet.com Preakness Stakes (gr. I) undercard. This will be her first race at Woodbine and she has yet to win at the distance in three tries. With earnings of more than $700,000, she brings the fattest lifetime bankroll into the Dance Smartly.

Sky Treasure won this year's edition of the Nassau last out in come-from-behind fashion. She has also been most effective at shorter distances and will need some pace to develop to set up her best run. Strut the Course is another stakes winner over the course, having won last year's Maple Leaf Stakes (Can-IIIT) at 10 furlongs. She finished fifth beaten two lengths in the Nassau most recently.

Winning Rhythm finished eighth in the Nassau last out but ran a good third in the Santa Ana Stakes (gr. IIT) at Santa Anita Park two back. She has hit the board in all three of her tries at nine furlongs but is still looking for her first win at the distance. Industrial Policy is a stalker who hasn't kicked in a winning drive lately, but has won twice in five attempts at the Dance Smartly distance. Habibi has been racing at Santa Anita since her arrival from Australia until her last start, which came at Woodbine. She was a nose back in allowance optional claiming company in that one, a race won by Smartfly, who will return to stakes company here for the first time in nearly 10 months.

Llanarmon took the Carotene Stakes at  1 1/8 miles at Woodbine last year but was well-beaten in the Nassau. Copper Kitten is coming off a victory on the Woodbine turf at nine furlongs in allowance optional claiming company but also failed to make an impression in the Nassau.