No Sure Favorite in Woodbine's Royal North Stakes

Half of the 10 fillies and mares entered in the Royal North Stakes (G3T) July 29 at Woodbine have already proven themselves in black-type company and a couple more have been knocking on the door.

With such a talent-rich field, favoritism could be up for grabs. 

The slim morning-line choice is Skylander Girl, who won the 2015 Hendrie Stakes (G3) at Woodbine and comes into the six-furlong Royal North off a July 1 win in the Zadracarta Stakes over the turf. The 6-year-old daughter of Stroll has two wins in three starts so far this year, which is a significant improvement from her 10-race winless streak that followed her Hendrie victory. Skylander Girl is owned and trained by Alexander Patykewich.

Vying for the bettors' attention will be Southern Ring, a 5-year-old mare by Speightstown   and a Sam-Son Farm homebred. Out of 11 starts, Southern Ring has only finished off the board three times, but one of those was a seventh-place finish in the Zadracarta. She set the pace in the seven-furlong stakes but faded in the stretch. She won her second grade 3 in the April 23 Whimsical Stakes on Woodbine's all-weather track. 

Other top contenders include Code Warrior, a 4-year-old filly by Society's Chairman  , and Nobody's Fault, a 4-year-old daughter of Blame  .

Code Warrior, owned by partners J.C. Racing Stable, Wachtel Stable, and Gary Barber, has not finished out of the money in five starts this year. She comes into the race off a near gate-to-wire victory in the June 4 Hendrie. Code Warrior has not been tested on turf, but her sire was a grade 3 winner and three times grade 1-placed on the grass, and her broodmare sire is Runaway Groom, a graded winner on the turf in Australia. Bred in Florida by Pamela Edel, Code Warrior is trained by Rachel Halden.

Lothenbach Stables' homebred Nobody's Fault also has not missed a win or place finish out of five starts this year. She has two wins in 2017, the most recent the May 13 Unbridled Sydney Stakes going five furlongs on the grass at Churchill Downs. In her most recent start June 9 at Churchill, she finished third as the favorite in a $61,800 allowance race.

Nobody's Fault, trained by Neil Pessin, is the only entrant in the Royal North to have earned triple-digit Equibase Speed Figures in all three of her most recent starts. Her highest rating was a 112 in the Unbridled Sydney Overnight Stakes, which is the second-highest among the Royal North contenders for their 2017 races. Code Warrior earned a 115 in a $33,000 allowance race Jan. 8 at Golden Gate Fields, in which she finished second.

The lead challenger among those still looking for a black-type win is Jennifer Lynnette, a 4-year-old daughter of Elusive Quality  , who won an allowance on Woodbine's main track by six lengths May 14, and followed that up with a third in the Hendrie and a second in the Zadracarta. She was bred in Ontario by Christine Hayden and is trained by Mark Casse for owner Conrad Farms.

Royal North S. (G3T)

Woodbine, Saturday, July 29, 2017, Race 8

• 6f
• Turf
• $125,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 4:47 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Miss Gossip (IRE)	James Graham	118	Andrew McKeever	12/1
2	2Jennifer Lynnette (ON)	Patrick Husbands	118	Mark E. Casse	10/1
3	3Southern Ring (ON)	Eurico Rosa Da Silva	122	Malcolm Pierce	3/1
4	4Nobody's Fault (KY)	Luis Contreras	118	Neil L. Pessin	4/1
5	5Code Warrior (FL)	Anne Sanguinetti	120	Rachel Halden	6/1
6	6Scatter Gun (KY)	Luis Contreras	118	Neil L. Pessin	20/1
7	7Kasuga (ON)	Jesse M. Campbell	118	Martin Drexler	10/1
8	8Salty Breeze (KY)	Emma-Jayne Wilson	118	Josie Carroll	20/1
9	9River Maid (ON)	Gary Boulanger	122	Robert P. Tiller	15/1
10	10Skylander Girl (ON)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	120	Alexander P. Patykewich	5/2