Code Warrior to Take on Highweight Lull in Royal North

Back-to-back Hendrie Stakes (G3) winner Code Warrior headlines the local contingent in a talented field of 10 distaffers set to contest the $175,000 Royal North Stakes (G2T) at Woodbine July 29.

The Royal North is one of two six-furlong sprint stakes Sunday at Woodbine, followed by the $125,000 Vigil Stakes (G3).

Fresh off a front-end score in the June 10 Hendrie, Code Warrior will leave from a preferable post 2 with Luis Contreras back aboard for trainer Michael De Paulo and owner Zilli Racing Stables.

"We gave her a little break. She's had plenty of time between races," said De Paulo, noting everything has gone according to plan with the 5-year-old Society's Chairman  mare. "It looks like it's a pretty tough race, with a bunch of shippers in there. There's plenty of speed in the race. It looks like there will be plenty of gas up front. Hopefully, Luis will find the right trip and get us home."

Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider's homebred Lull comes to Woodbine after she won her season debut in the March 31 Honey Fox Stakes (G3T) over one mile of turf at Gulfstream Park and followed up that performance with a third-place finish in the Longines Just a Game Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park. Christophe Clement trains the 4-year-old War Front  filly, who is approaching $900,000 in earnings. She also won the Autumn Miss Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park in October.

Audley Farm Stable's Smiling Causeway will make her Woodbine debut off a strong July 7 Turf Amazon Stakes victory at Parx Racing for trainer Arnaud Delacour. The 4-year-old Giant's Causeway  filly is a half sister to grade 1 stakes winners Smiling Tiger  and She's a Tiger, the 2013 Eclipse Award champion 2-year-old filly. She boasts five wins and three seconds from nine starts.

Woodbine's meet-leading trainer, Mark Casse, will have a pair of local graded stakes winners in the mix. Conrad Farms' Jennifer Lynnette will aim to defend her title in the Royal North, while Live Oak Plantation homebred Victory to Victory returns to the scene of her 2016 Natalma Stakes (G1T) score after she started her current campaign at Churchill Downs.

Jennifer Lynnette has been a top-five contender in all of her 16 starts. The consistent 5-year-old Elusive Quality mare finished fifth in the Hendrie and enters the Royal North off a blocked fourth-place finish in the seven-furlong Zadracarta sprint at Woodbine on Canada Day.

Joey Gee Thoroughbreds' Kasuga, the six-furlong turf track record holder at Woodbine, finished just a head short in last year's Royal North and will return for a rematch Sunday, this time racing from the Jim Ensom stable.

Corps de Ballet, Tulsa Queen, Way to Versailles, and Will She complete the lineup.

Entries: Royal North S. (G2T)

Woodbine, Sunday, July 29, 2018, Race 7

• Grade IIT
• 6f
• Turf
• $175,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 4:15 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Corps de Ballet (KY)	Alan Garcia	118	Roger L. Attfield	4/1
2	2Code Warrior (FL)	Luis Contreras	122	Michael P. De Paulo	6/1
3	3Victory to Victory (FL)	Gary Boulanger	118	Mark E. Casse	12/1
4	4Smiling Causeway (KY)	Daniel Centeno	120	Arnaud Delacour	3/1
5	5Tulsa Queen (PA)	Steven Ronald Bahen	120	Ryan D. Walsh	20/1
6	6Way to Versailles (FL)	Eurico Rosa Da Silva	118	Kevin Attard	8/1
7	7Kasuga (ON)	Jesse M. Campbell	118	Jim Ensom	20/1
8	8Lull (KY)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	125	Christophe Clement	5/2
9	9Will She (ON)	David Moran	118	Michael Keogh	20/1
10	10Jennifer Lynnette (ON)	Patrick Husbands	120	Mark E. Casse	10/1