Ontario Fashion Attracts Strong Field

The field of 10 fillies and mares expected to line up Oct. 18 in the $150,000 Ontario Fashion Stakes (Can-III) at Woodbine includes an intriguing collection of stakes winners, several with an affinity for the Canadian track and/or the race's six-furlong distance.

Among them are grade III winners Unspurned and Skylander Girl, who both captured their graded wins in the spring but haven't found the winner's circle since.

Unspurned, a 4-year-old daughter of Lemon Drop Kid   owned by Christine Hayden, won the Whimsical Stakes (gr. III) at six furlongs on Woodbine's all-weather main track in April and Skylander Girl finished second by a length. In the next start for both of these fillies—the grade III Hendrie Stakes in May—Skylander Girl got the advantage and Unspurned finished back in third. Skylander Girl is a 4-year-old daughter of Stroll  . She is owned and trained by Alexander Patykewich.

Skylander Girl is shortening up off the 1 1/16-mile OLG Algoma S. presented by Adena Springs Canada Stakes, in which she finished third Sept. 2. She has had a series of three sharp five-furlong drills at Woodbine, going 1:00 Sept. 18, a bullet :57 Sept. 27, and :59 2/5 Oct. 9.

Unspurned has not started since a sixth-place finish in the July 1 Sweet Briar Too Stakes. The filly trained by Hall of Famer Roger Attfield also had a sharp five-furlong work Oct. 12, when she ran a bullet :59 3/5.

Some challengers to watch who love the conditions of the Ontario Fashion include two-time stakes winner Tahnee, who has won six times in 10 starts at Woodbine and three times in five starts going six furlongs, and Cactus Kris, who defeated Unspurned earlier in the year and has never been out of the money in her three starts at Woodbine or off the board in her four starts at six furlongs.

The horse with the most momentum coming into the race is Curragh Stables' Harp N Halo, a daughter of Singing Saint  , who has finished first in all five starts this year, though she got placed second in an allowance race at Tampa Bay Downs in March due to a disqualification. Trained by John Terranova, Harp N Halo comes into the race off a neck victory at Woodbine in the Avowal Stakes on the turf.