Dominion Day Stakes 2015 at Woodbine Racetrack

Dave Bond | OTB Writer

Las Vegas, NV - Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario will play host to the Grade 3 Dominion Day Stakes this Wednesday, July 1. Horses three years old and upward will be featured as they go 1 1/4 miles on Woodbine's All Weather Track in search of the winner's share of the $150,000 purse.

A field of seven have been confirmed for the Dominion Day Stakes - race 8 on Woodbine's Canada Day Wednesday card. Post time is 4:45 PM. Here is a peek into the past performances of all seven entries for this Grade 3 stakes.

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2015 Dominion Day Stakes Race Favorite Entries

Red Rifle 7/5 - speedy Todd Pletcher trained gelding has five wins, five seconds and a third place finish in 17 career starts and enters off his worst performance in some time - a ninth in the Belmont Gold Cup Invitational June 5. Before that was a decent second in the Grade 3 Excelsior Stakes at Aqueduct April 25 and a fifth in the Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap March 28. He did make some noise with a terrific win in the Grade 2 Hawthorne Gold Cup in November at this distance and also had an OK second in the Grade 3 Sycamore Stakes at Keeneland October 16. Red Rifle has placed in four of his last five graded stakes races overall and enters in OK form with Alan Garcia in the irons of the morning line favorite from post 5.

Mystery Train 3/1 - arrived from Argentina and promptly finished ninth in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic August 24 and followed that with a sixth in the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes September 27 and a tenth in the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup in November. The good news is that he did have a respectable second after leading most of the way in the 1 1/16 mile Grade 3 Mineshaft Handicap at Fair Grounds February 21 and he did post a win last time out in the minor Evangeline Mile June 6. He has placed in just two of his North American starts but those have come in his last three starts. Mystery Train looks to keep a bit of a roll going Saturday with Gary Boulanger guiding the morning line second choice from post 6.

Dominion Day Stakes 2015 | Remaining Contenders

Midnight Aria 5/1 - winner of the 2013 version of Canada's biggest race in wire-to-wire fashion at 16-1 odds - the Queen's Plate has just seven starts since. He posted an ugly eleventh in the Grade 2 Hawthorne Gold Cup and went on to a thirteenth in the Grade 3 WL McKnight Handicap in December buts has looked better in his only two starts this year. Last time out was a second in the Grade 3 Eclipse Stakes here June 7 -it followed a second in an Allowance Optional Claiming on this track in May. Midnight Aria has 16 career starts with three wins, three seconds and six third place finishes and hopes to channel some of his Queen's Plate form as looks for his first graded stakes score. Jesse Campbell has the mount on the third choice from post 3.

Pender Harbour 6/1 - Canada's champion 3-year-old male of 2011 has 36 career starts - 34 on this track with 12 wins, seven seconds and six third place finishes. He's been a tad up and down but is coming off a good win last time out - the restricted Steady Growth Stakes here June 6. Before that was a fourth in the Grade 3 Vigil Stakes in May and another good result - a second in the Grade 3 Valedictory Stakes on this track in December. Pender Harbour has quietly placed in 12 of his last 15 starts and could be a sneaky entry this week. Luis Contreras gets the call from post 4.

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Patrioticandproud 8/1 - Mark Casse trainee won the minor Toronto Cup Stakes in July 2012 and has been up and down since. He enters off an Allowance Optional Claiming here June 13 after an OK fourth in the Grade 3 Louisville Handicap May 23. He had an ugly eleventh in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap in March - it followed a disappointing seventh in the Grade 2 San Marcos Stakes at Santa Anita. Before that was consecutive runner-up finishes - both to Finnegans Wake -the Grade 2 San Gabriel Stakes at Santa Anita January 3 and the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup and a good third in the Grade 2 Las Vegas Marathon Stakes at Santa Anita in October. He is a tough one to figure out but has shown good form in the past. Eurico Rosa Da Silva rides post 7.

Florida Won 12/1 - Mark Casse trained colt has eight career starts with two wins, one second and two third place finishes. Last time out was a pedestrian fifth in an Allowance Optional Claiming here May 22 which followed his career best effort - a win in the 2014 Grade 3 Ontario Derby here back in September and another fifth in the minor Toronto Cup here July 20. He looks to duplicate his impressive win two starts back when he lines up for the second time in nine months from the rail with Patrick Husbands aboard.

Smooth Stone 20/1 - Malcolm Pierce trained gelding makes his stakes debut after 15 career starts produced three wins, four seconds and two third place finishes. He had a third in an Allowance Optional Claiming last time out but failed to place in his previous three starts. Smooth Stone leaves from gate 2 with Emma-Jayne Wilson in the saddle as the longest shot in the field.


2015 Dominion Day Stakes Entries & Odds

Race 8 on Woodbine Racetrack's Wednesday card with a Post Time of 4:45 PM.

Entry Horse Jockey Trainer ML Odds
1 Florida Won P. Husbands M. Casse
12-1
2 Smooth Stone E. Wilson M. Pierce
20-1
3 Midnight Aria J. Campbell N. Gonzalez
5-1
4 Pender Harbour L. Contreras M. De Paulo
6-1
5 Red Rifle A. Garcia T. Pletcher
7-5
6 Mystery Train (ARG) G. Boulanger M. Casse
3-1
7 Patrioticandproud E. Da Silva M. Casse
8-1