Strut the Course Headlines Dance Smartly

John Unger’s Strut the Course, the champion older female of 2014 who finished third behind 2014 Horse of the Year Lexie Lou last time out in Woodbine’s Nassau Stakes (Can-IIT), is the 5-2 morning-line favorite to repeat in the July 3 Dance Smartly Stakes (Can-IIT).

An additional furlong—from a mile to 1 1/8 miles—may give her the edge this time around, but Gary Barber’s Lexie Lou, who won the 2014 Queen's Plate, tested the tough waters in New York after the Nassau and finished 10th of 13 in Belmont Park’s Longines Just a Game Stakes (gr. IT).

While most of her best efforts have come over the synthetic surface at Woodbine, Lexie Lou won at the grade III level at Santa Anita Park and ran second to 2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome   in the nine-furlong Hollywood Derby (gr. IT).

Strut the Course, by Strut the Stage and trained by Barbara Minshall, is right at home on the local turf, with a 3-2-1 record from eight tries, and finished fourth last fall in the grade I E.P. Taylor Stakes after winning the Dance Smartly last July by a head over the grade I-winner Watsdachances.

Second choice at 7-2 is Adele Dilschneider and Claiborne Farm’s Heath, who finished third last time out in Pimlico Race Course’s Gallorette Handicap (gr. IIIT). The 4-year-old daughter of Pulpit will make her Canadian debut in the Dance Smartly for trainer Bill Mott.

Returning to Woodbine is the New York-bred The Tea Cups, who topped fellow New Yorkers in the Mt. Vernon Stakes at Belmont May 30. She placed seventh in her lone Woodbine start back in the summer of 2014, but has improved dramatically since.

Toting the highweight of 125 pounds is Ball Dancing, who has yet to flash the form of 2015, when she won Keeneland’s Jenny Wiley Stakes (gr. IT). She’s listed as 12-1 on the morning line and will be ridden by Julien Leparoux for trainer Chad Brown.