Holy Helena Back at Woodbine for Dance Smartly

A year after topping males in the Queen's Plate Stakes, Holy Helena will look to add to her Woodbine success—this time on turf—in the $175,000 Dance Smartly Stakes (G2T) June 30.

The Dance Smartly is one of five stakes on Saturday's 2018 Queen's Plate Day card.

For Holy Helena, the Dance Smartly will mark her first try on the Woodbine turf after registering two wins from three stakes starts on its synthetic surface. Holy Helena prepped for last year's Queen's Plate with a score in Woodbine Oaks Presented by Budweiser, and she closed out her Canadian 3-year-old filly championship season with a runner-up finish against males in the Ontario Derby (G3).

This season, Stronach Stables' Holy Helena opened with three straight victories on turf, including a half-length score in the Sheepshead Bay Stakes (G2T) on the inner turf at Belmont Park. That win streak was snapped when the daughter of Ghostzapper  finished fifth in the New York Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G2T) also on the inner turf at Belmont.

"She's a really nice horse," said Mike Doyle, racing manager for Stronach Stables. "Jimmy has done a great job with her. Holy Helena's been running really well for him. In four starts this year, she has three wins. In her last one, she finished fifth, but was only beaten three lengths. She ran a very good race."

Trained by Jimmy Jerkens, Holy Helena has a 6-2-0 record from 10 starts and earnings of $1,027,333.

A pair of Chad Brown runners will be awaiting Holy Helena in Santa Monica, who finished just a half-length behind Holy Helena when third in the Sheepshead Bay, and Inflexibility, who enters off a runner-up finish in the Beaugay Stakes (G3T) on the inner turf at Belmont.

Earlier on Saturday's Woodbine card, the $175,000 King Edward Stakes (G2T) will feature 3-year-olds and older trying one mile on the turf. 

Thomas Van Meter II and Scott Dilworth's Tower of Texas, trained by Roget Attfield, is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in the King Edward after finishing second to Caribou Club in the Connaught Cup Stakes (G2T) June 2 on the Woodbine turf. Attfield believes Tower of Texas can build on that effort in which he attempted to rally from eighth early.

"It was a good race," Attfield said. "He's always subject to pace."

Grade 2 winner Tower of Texas is scheduled to again face Caribou Club on Saturday, along with Stronach Stables' Delta Prince, who will make his 2018 debut after earning graded stakes placings in New York and Florida last year for Jerkens.

Entries: King Edward S. (G2T)

Woodbine, Saturday, June 30, 2018, Race 6

• Grade IIT
• 1m
• Turf
• $175,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 2:53 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Hollywood Hideaway (KY)	Luis Contreras	117	Barbara J. Minshall	20/1
2	2Ring Weekend (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	117	H. Graham Motion	10/1
3	3Tower of Texas (ON)	Eurico Rosa Da Silva	119	Roger L. Attfield	2/1
4	4First Premio (KY)	Florent Geroux	117	Mark E. Casse	4/1
5	5Shakhimat (ON)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	121	Roger L. Attfield	10/1
6	6Conquest Panthera (KY)	Patrick Husbands	119	Mark E. Casse	8/1
7	7Caribou Club (FL)	Gary Boulanger	119	Thomas F. Proctor	6/1
8	8Delta Prince (KY)	Javier Castellano	117	James A. Jerkens	3/1

Entries: Dance Smartly S. (G2T)

Woodbine, Saturday, June 30, 2018, Race 8

• Grade IIT
• 1 1/4m
• Turf
• $175,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 4:18 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Dream Dancing (KY)	Florent Geroux	125	Mark E. Casse	8/1
2	2Mythical Mission (ON)	John R. Velazquez	116	H. Graham Motion	15/1
3	3Saba (FR)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	116	Roger L. Attfield	15/1
4	4Liberty Kitten (KY)	David Moran	116	Michael P. De Paulo	20/1
5	5Holy Helena (ON)	Luis Contreras	122	James A. Jerkens	5/2
6	6Starship Jubilee (FL)	Eurico Rosa Da Silva	122	Kevin Attard	6/1
7	7Inflexibility (ON)	Javier Castellano	118	Chad C. Brown	4/1
8	8Santa Monica (GB)	Jose L. Ortiz	120	Chad C. Brown	3/1
9	9Bletchley (GB)	Patrick Husbands	116	Mark E. Casse	10/1
10	10Flower Fashion (FR)	Joel Rosario	116	Christophe Clement	20/1