2023 Natalma Stakes Preview

The Grade 1, $500,000 Natalma Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack is one of North America's premier juvenile fillies’ grass races. The one-mile turf race drew a field of 15 to battle for not only that purse but also an automatic bid to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. The race is one of the features on a loaded Woodbine card on Saturday, September 16; the card also includes the Woodbine Mile (G1) and the Summer Stakes (G1), both of which are top-level races that offer Breeders’ Cup bids as well.

One horse has swept the Natalma and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf: Catch a Glimpse, who is now the namesake of the local prep race for the Natalma. Stephanie’s Kitten, who won that Breeders’ Cup race in 2011, was third in the Natalma two starts before that triumph.

2023 Natalma Stakes Information

• Race Date: Saturday, September 16, 2022
• Track: Woodbine Racetrack in Etobicoke, Ontario
• Post Time: 5:07 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: one mile on the E. P. Taylor turf course
• Age/Sex: two-year-old fillies
• Where to Watch: TVG.com, NBC, Peacock
• Where to Bet: TVG.com and FanDuel Racing

Natalma Stakes Draw and Odds

This is the full field for the 2023 edition of the Natalma Stakes, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds.

Natalma Stakes Prep Race Results

The 15 runners come out of 11 different races, with a pair of local preps in Canada sending out multiple horses. The Catch a Glimpse Stakes, a six-and-a-half-furlong prep for this race, sends out three runners. Morning-line second choice Airosa won that race by a length over Ready to Jam, while Bolt Enoree set the pace and weakened to fifth. Golden Canary, Dancing Duchess, and Rhapsody finished 1-2-3 in the Soaring Free, a Summer Stakes prep that included males over the same distance on the Woodbine lawn.

Three other runners come out of races that were not restricted to maidens. Dea Matrona won a conditions race at Strasbourg on June 12; he has since moved from the Christopher Head barn to that of Chad Brown. The other two rounded out superfectas in graded stakes. Dazzling Star was fourth in the Princess Margaret (G3) at Ascot, while She’s Fire was fourth in the Bolton Landing at Saratoga.

The other six runners come out of maiden races on grass. Four of the six last-out maiden special weight contenders won their most recent starts: Brocknardini and Ozara both graduated in routes at Saratoga, though Brocknardini beat New York-breds and Ozara beat open company. She Feels Pretty won a sprint at Ellis, and Ms. Tart won a sprint at Colonial.

There are also two maidens in the field. Go With Gusto crossed the wire first in a one-mile maiden on Woodbine’s inner turf, but was disqualified to fifth for impeding a foe. Simply in Front, the only one who hasn’t actually crossed the wire first, was second in a seven-furlong maiden special on the Woodbine turf.

Natalma Stakes Contenders

These fifteen runners, organized by post position, are contesting the 2023 Natalma Stakes.

1. Dazzling Star: Charlie Appleby has yet to win this race, but he has won other Grade 1 races in Canada, like the Woodbine Mile and the Summer, so he knows the profile of shippers who can win. His runners do well off layoffs and making their first tries at a mile or more, and it is a positive that jockey William Buick hops on the plane to stick with her. The biggest drawback at the short price is the rail post in a huge field, a recipe for trip trouble.
2. Bolt Enoree: She broke her maiden in a 4 ½-furlong dash on the all-weather back in May but has yet to win in two stakes tries since. Expect her to send from that near-inside gate, as that is what she did from the rail last out in the Catch a Glimpse. But, against an even deeper field, staying all the way around will be an even tougher ask.
3. Dancing Duchess: She broke her maiden at second asking, three back in a five-furlong Tapeta dash at woodbine. She handled her first turf try well, though, missing by just a neck behind Golden Canary in the Soaring Free, and now she drew a little better than that foe. A one-turn mile should be fine, given her breeding, and she has a chance at a good middle price.
4. Brocknardini: She won her debut with authority, though she faced New York-breds in that race, and now she has to tackle open Grade 1 company. The win at two turns suggests fitness, though her pedigree suggests she might want more distance, not less. Her late-running style means she is hoping a few of the horses who have shown speed will lock up; there isn’t an overwhelming amount of speed, however, so that will take luck.
5. Ms. Tart: She graduated on debut at Colonial Downs, tracking the pace and running on well to a three-length victory. The stretch out to a one-mile trip is a question; on top, her young sire has been more sprint-oriented, though the bottom of her pedigree suggests upside at least up to a mile. The tactical running style appeals, though she needs to go significantly faster in this spot.
6. Airosa: The only dual winner in this field, she came up flat on debut over Tapeta but graduated in her first try on turf and then won the Catch a Glimpse Stakes as well. That stakes win was also a positive from a running style standpoint, since her debut score came on the front end, but last time, she showed she can win from a stalking spot, too. She is well drawn near the middle of the pack, and her pedigree suggests she will thrift at a mile or even longer.
7. Simply in Front: She made a nice run to be second on her debut at seven furlongs over this outer Woodbine course, and the race came back fast enough to suggest she only needs modest improvement to be a factor in this. Her pedigree suggests the extra distance will help her: her two half-siblings to race are stakes winners at a mile and a mile and a sixteenth. Though her trainer, Patrick Dixon, tends to underperform with first-time routers, she’ll be such a high price that spread tickets would be well served to sprinkle her underneath.
8. Ready to Jam: With three starts, she is one of the more experienced runners in the field. She tracked the pace and rallied to win second out in an eleven-horse maiden field, suggesting some ability to handle a large field. And, though she did not get up last out in the Catch a Glimpse, she posted a determined rally and finished a good second. She is adaptable, improving, and should have no trouble staying the mile.
9. Go With Gusto: She debuted in a one-mile race over the Woodbine inner turf on August 13; she put on a strong late rally to cross the wire 1 ½ lengths in front but was disqualified to fifth for interfering with a foe near the furlong pole, making her one of two maidens in the field. Her running style should not be too compromised by the switch from two turns to one, and her proven ability to pass horses will be an asset.
10. She’s Fire: She has four starts underneath her, making her one of the more experienced horses. She showed sharp speed in her first two races, graduating second out at Belmont in her first start on lawn. She hasn’t made the top in her next two starts, though, which suggests she may need the lead. Stretching out to a mile for the first time, she may be fast enough to get it, though the foes trying to chase her down in the lane will be better than ever.
11. She Feels Pretty: She debuted in a five-and-a-half-furlong turf sprint at Ellis on July 16, settling well off the pace and rallying to get up by a neck. The second-place horse came back to break her maiden at odds-on next out, though she then came up empty in a stakes at Kentucky Downs. Her pedigree means the mile should be fine, though she is another who needs the luck of a sharp early pace.
12. Ozara: She was ignored at 12-1 in her debut at Saratoga but managed to rally from midfield and win by a determined neck. Second-place Weigh the Risks won by a neck at odds-on next out, also at Saratoga, though not in particularly fast fashion. That said, trainer Christophe Clement tends to get the best out of runners in their second grass race, and she has already proven she can handle a field on the big side.
13. Dea Matrona: Chad Brown brings a wild card here. The good news is she was able to win in a conditions race last out, though that was at Strasbourg, which is not one of the higher-level “metropolitan” tracks like Saint Cloud, where she was well beaten on debut. She is bred for the extra distance, though, and trainer Chad Brown is strong with both layoff horses and horses trying a mile or more for the first time. But, Brown also tends to be overbet.
14. Golden Canary: She has two solid efforts to start her career. She could not reel in Airosa on her debut, finishing second by two lengths. However, she returned in a stakes against males (instead of facing Airosa again), and led at every single call. That was a quality effort, though the fact that she did better when getting the early lead suggests she may have to be used hard early from this near-outside gate.
15. Rhapsody: She graduated in a six-furlong turf sprint at Woodbine, attending the pace and keeping on in the lane to win by two lengths. She did not make it anywhere near that close to the lead in the Soaring Free, and chased on a no-threat third behind Golden Canary and Dancing Duchess. The step up to a mile may help, but the far-outside post and the deeper field both raise serious questions.

Natalma Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the Natalma Stakes?

A: The Natalma Stakes (or, for sponsorship purposes, the Johnnie Walker Natalma Stakes) happens on Saturday, September 16, 2023, at 5:07 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race is carded as the eighth of 12 on the card.

Q: Where is the Natalma Stakes?

A: The race happens at Woodbine Racetrack in Etobicoke, Ontario.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Natalma Stakes?

A: Mark Casse won this race seven times between 2006 and 2016, most prominently with Catch a Glimpse (2015). Casse will try to extend that record to eight wins this year: he entered Dancing Duchess, Go With Gusto, Golden Canary, and Ready to Jam this year.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Natalma Stakes?

A: Off a fourth-place run in the Princess Margaret (G3) at Ascot, Dazzling Star is the morning-line favorite for trainer Charlie Appleby. Watch for betting action, in particular on morning-line second choice Airosa (4-1) and morning-line third choice Golden Canary, both of whom are coming in after local stakes wins.

Q: Who is the best Natalma Stakes jockey?

A: Todd Kabel leads all jockeys with five wins in this race between 1993 and 2002. Among jockeys entered in the 2023 edition of this race, Emma-Jayne Wilson and Patrick Husbands lead with two victories. Wilson will ride either Dancing Duchess or Go With Gusto, while Husbands is named on Bolt Enoree.

Q: Who won the Natalma Stakes in 2022?

A: 21-1 long shot Last Call won the Natalma in 2022, getting up by a length over favored Cairo Consort. She was trained by Kevin Attard and ridden by Rafael Hernandez. Kevin Attard trains Airosa, Bolt Enoree, and Rhapsody in this year’s edition; Hernandez takes the call on Airosa.