September 15, 2023
By Woodbine Communications/ Chris Lomon
TORONTO, September 15, 2023 – A field of nine fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, will travel seven furlongs on the Toronto Tapeta in Sunday’s $150,000 Seaway Stakes (G3) at Woodbine.
Millie Girl, a 5-year-old daughter of Hard Spun-Mendocino Beano, has reached the podium in all seven career starts to sport an overall mark of 3-1-3.
Trained by Catherine Day Phillips, who co-owns (through her Kingfield Racing Stable, Ltd.) with Braconcrest Inc. and Apricot Valley Thoroughbreds, the dark bay reeled off two straight scores to start her career, both at seven furlongs on the E.P. Taylor turf, including a half-length victory in her debut last July.
Since then, Millie Girl has raced twice on the Tapeta, once at seven furlongs, the other at 1 1/6 miles, along with three starts on the E.P. Taylor, over “good” ground at 1 1/16 miles on October 22, over “firm” going at 6 ½ furlongs on June 3 and on “yielding” ground at one mile on July 1.
The latter two races, the Royal North (G2T) and Nassau (G2T), marked the mare’s first two appearances on the stakes stage.
She was third in both, including the Nassau, a race that saw Grade 1 winner Fev Rover (IRE) take top spot and Canada’s reigning horse of the year, recent Canadian Stakes (G2T) winner Moira, finish second.
“Millie Girl has shown talent all along,” said Day Phillps, of the $67,000 (U.S.) Keeneland Association November Breeding Stock Sale purchase in 2021, who was bred in Ontario by Sean Fitzhenry. “She has taken time to mature both physically and mentally, but she has shown professionalism in her races right from her first start.”
Declan Carroll will ride.
Kevin Pena Salgado is the groom.
Other starters include a pair of Michael Stidham trainees, multiple stakes winner Ready to Venture (GB) and graded stakes-placed Purrfect, multiple graded stakes winners Il Malocchio and Hazelbrook, and stakes winner Ticker Tape Home.
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee, jockey Robin Platts, has a record six Seaway scores. Prospective Dolly won three editions (1991-92 and 1994) of the race that was inaugurated in 1956.
Sunday’s first post is 1:15 p.m. The Seaway is listed as race nine on the 11-race card. Fans can watch and wager via HPIbet.com, bet365 and the Dark Horse Bets App.
$150,000 Seaway Stakes (G3)
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Ready to Venture (GB) – Rafael Hernandez – Michael Stidham
2 – Millie Girl – Declan Carroll – Catherine Day Phillips
3 – Vantarsi – Kazushi Kimura – Kevin Attard
4 – Hazelbrook – Jason Hoyte – Lorne Richards
5 – Purrfect – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Michael Stidham
6 – Ticker Tape Home – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
7 – Talk to Ya Later – Ryan Munger – Ian Black
8 – Hai Bobbi (S) – Sofia Vives – Kadain Gordon
9 – Il Malocchio – Sahin Civaci – Martin Drexler
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