Marketing Mix continued her recent dominance of Canada's female turf ranks when she used a seam along the inside to capture the $352,020 Dance Smartly Stakes (Can-IIT) (VIDEO) as the 3-5 choice July 8 at Woodbine.
In tight quarters in the stretch with rallying Inglorious on her outside, Marketing Mix dove to the hedge for jockey Julien Leparoux, where the 4-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro had room to make her winning bid.
With the victory, Marketing Mix surpassed $1 million in career earnings.
Marketing Mix, the 122-pound highweight, defeated the fast-closing Moment of Majesty by 1 3/4 lengths with Inglorious a half-length farther back in third. The final time for the 1 1/8 miles over Woodbine's very firm turf course was 1:48.02.
Trained by Tom Proctor for Glen Hill Farm, Marketing Mix won the one-mile Nassau Stakes (Can-IIT) in her most recent start June 2 and is now 3-for-3 on the Woodbine turf, including last year's Wonder Where Stakes. Since Proctor put Marketing Mix on turf full time nearly one year ago, she has won six of eight races.
Sean Fitzhenry bred Marketing Mix in Ontario. The dark bay or brown filly, out of the Kris S. mare Instant Thought, brought $150,000 as a Keeneland September yearling in 2009.
Marketing Mix, breaking from the outside in the field of seven older fillies and mares, found a good stalking position in third as Moonlit Beauty opened up to lead by three lengths over Lode Lady while clicking off quarter-mile fractions of :24.19, :47.43, and 1:11.13.
In the homestretch Moonlit Beauty led Marketing Mix, who quickly cut into the advantage, with Inglorious charging on the outside for Patrick Husbands. Marketing Mix had nowhere to go but Leparoux found room to the inside near mid-stretch. Marketing Mix regained her best stride under left-handed urging from Leparoux to take command in deep stretch.
Leparoux was impressed with his filly's tenacity when encountering traffic trouble turning into the stretch.
"We got stopped coming to the straight and she just picked it up very nicely on this turf," said Leparoux. "She wanted it, most importantly."
Moment of Majesty, last after a half-mile, flew home late at 23-1 odds for Gerry Olguin to get the runner-up spot. Inglorious, the Queen's Plate winner last year, had a narrow lead at the furlong mark but drifted in late and could not finish with the winner. Indian Pond was next, followed by Kissable, Moonlit Beauty, and Lode Lady.
Marketing Mix improved her record to 7-2-1 in 13 lifetime starts. The winning purse of $211,918 bumped her career bankroll to $1,003,529.
The winner paid $3.20, $2.50, and $2.10. Moment of Majesty, who closed well to win the Zadracarta Stakes in her last start June 16 for trainer Sue Leslie, returned $8.70 and $.360. The exacta was worth $28.90. Inglorious paid $2.70.