After scoring a 2 1/2-length victory in last year's Nassau Stakes (G2T), Soli Mehta and Kevin Attard's Starship Jubilee is the 6-5 favorite to repeat in the $175,000 one-mile turf race for fillies and mares May 27 at Woodbine.
Starship Jubilee, a 5-year-old daughter of Indy Wind, was named Canada's champion turf female last year after she followed her Nassau score with a dead-heat victory with Rainha Da Bateria in the Dance Smartly Stakes (G2T).
Trained by Attard, Starship Jubilee enters this year's Nassau off a close runner-up finish in the Mary Todd, run as a stakes for Florida-breds Feb. 17 on the Gulfstream Park turf. That effort followed her victory over other Florida-breds in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Stakes there.
The expected field of seven also includes Ghostly Presence, a 4-year-old daughter of Ghostzapper who in December won the Tropical Park Oaks on the Gulfstream turf.
The well-traveled Gianna's Dream, trained by Mike Maker and owned by Jordan Wycoff, will get her first test on Canadian turf in the Nassau Stakes.
A lifetime winner of nine races from 20 starts, the 5-year-old daughter of Twirling Candy looks for a sweeter result than her past two starts. The bay finished sixth in the Jan. 13 Marshua's River Stakes (G3T) and fifth in the Mary Todd Stakes.
"She's a filly that I think is really going to take to this different style of turf course," said Nolan Ramsey, grandson of Thoroughbred owner/breeders Ken and Sarah Ramsey and assistant to Maker. "I had her this winter at Gulfstream, and I don't think she particularly liked that type of turf. After Gulfstream, she had a tough campaign, so we gave her a little time off. She came back looking absolutely unreal. She's put on some weight, and her coat looks really good."
Woodbine, Sunday, May 27, 2018, Race 8Entries: Nassau S. (G2T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Jennifer Lynnette (ON) Chantal Sutherland 118 Mark E. Casse 8/1 2 2Gianna's Dream (OK) Luis Contreras 118 Michael J. Maker 15/1 3 3Ghostly Presence (ON) Rafael Manuel Hernandez 118 Roger L. Attfield 5/2 4 4Starship Jubilee (FL) Eurico Rosa Da Silva 122 Kevin Attard 6/5 5 5Bletchley (GB) Patrick Husbands 116 Mark E. Casse 12/1 6 6Niigon's Eclipse (ON) Gary Boulanger 118 Rachel Halden 15/1 7 7Grizzel (IRE) David Moran 120 Michael J. Doyle 5/1
