2016 Whimsical Stakes Preview, Entries & Odds

OffTrackBetting.com – Woodbine in beautiful Toronto, Ontario will play host to the Grade 3 Whimsical Stakes on Sunday, April 10. Fillies and mares four years and upward will take to Woodbine’s All Weather track and dash six furlongs looking for the winner’s portion of the $150,000 purse.

A field of six will give it a go in the Whimsical Stakes – race 8 on Woodbine’s Sunday schedule. Post time is 4:49 PM. Here is a look into the past performances of all six entries for this Grade 3 stakes.

2016 Whimsical Stakes Race Preview at Woodbine

Leigh Court – Canada’s 2013 Sovereign Award winner as champion three-year-old filly won the Grade 3 Ontario Colleen Stakes on this track that year and was strong in 2014 when she won the Grade 3 Seaway Stakes here and the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes at Woodbine – she also posted an OK fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint that year. She had three starts in 2015 with runner-up finishes in the Grade 3 Royal North Stakes here in July and the Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters in September with an eighth to close her year in the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes in October. Leigh Court bounced back in her only start of 2016 – a win in the minor Mardi Gras Stakes at Fair Grounds February 9. She has been a tad up and down lately but has shown form in the past. Florent Geroux has been tabbed with securing Leigh Court’ first grade stakes score in 15 months and her second straight stakes score overall – from post 3.

Skylander Girl – looked good at the beginning of 2015 when she posted runner-up finishes in the Grade 3 Marshua’s River Stakes at Gulfstream in January and in last year’s edition of this race. She also won the Grade 3 Hendrie Stakes on this track last May. She has placed in just two of her last seven starts however – a fifth last time out in the Grade 2 Bessarabian Stakes back on November 15 followed a fourth in the Grade 3 Ontario Fashion Stakes in October and a third in the minor OLG Algoma Stakes in September – all three results coming on this track. Skylander Girl has four wins, seven seconds and four third place finishes in 29 career starts and will be after her first win in nearly a year from gate 2 with Emma-Jayne Wilson aboard. She has prepared sharply with consecutive bullet works including a March 28 effort.

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Ida Bambina – has 19 career starts for trainer Michael DePaulo with five wins, three seconds and four third place finishes. She makes her graded stakes debut off a fourth in the minor Miami Shores Handicap at Gulfstream February 4 and three straight runner-up finishes in Allowance Optional Claiming races – two of which have come on this track. She looks for his first victory since posting two Allowance scores in a row here during the summer when she leaves from the rail with Justin Stein in the saddle.

Galina Point – has placed in 10 of 14 career starts for trainer Mark Casse – all on this track and makes her graded stakes debut Sunday. Last time out was a runner-up finish in the minor OLG Algoma Stakes here way back in September after an eighth in the minor Wonder Where Stakes in August and a pair of seconds in a pair of minor stakes races in July. She also holds wins in the 2015 Lady Angela Stakes in May and the 2014 South Ocean Stakes. Galina Point has been OK against lesser competition and hopes to make a huge statement Sunday from post 5. Patrick Husbands will be in the reins.

Sweetsoutherndame – Ben Colebrook trained mare has just one career graded stakes start – an eighth place finish in the Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades Stakes in October, 2013. She has been up and down against lesser competition since but she has placed in four of her last five starts ahead of this week. Last time out was a fourth in an Allowance Optional Claiming March 25 after an Allowance Optional Claiming score February 27, a second and another consecutive victories respectively in a trio of Allowance Optional Claiming races – all results at Turfway Park. Sweetsoutherndame has been decent lately and will be chasing her first ever stakes score from gate 5 Sunday. Luis Contreras has the mount.

Green Doctor – has three wins, three seconds and a third place finish in 14 career starts for trainer John LeBlanc – all at Woodbine, the best of which was a win in the minor Fanfreluche Stakes in October, 2014. She enters on the heels of consecutive runner-up finishes in minor stakes action – the Jammed Lovely Stakes November 7 and the Ruling Angel Stakes October 17. Thos results followed a fifth in the minor Etobicoke Stakes in September and a seventh in the Grade 3 Ontario Colleen Stakes in August. She looks for her first graded stakes score and first win overall in 18 months. Gary Boulanger rides.

2016 Whimsical Stakes Entries & Odds

Race 8 on Woodbine’s Sunday card with a Post Time of 4:49 PM.