Millie Girl captures an allowance optional claimer May 12 at Woodbine (Michael Burns)
By Chris Lomon – Woodbine Communications
TORONTO— Millie Girl, who has hit the top three in all her starts, chases her first stakes success in the $150,000 Ontario Matron (G3), Saturday at Woodbine.
The 1 1/16-mile main track feature for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and upward, has drawn 12 starters, including the 5-year-old daughter of Hard Spun-Mendocino Beano, who brings a mark of 3-2-3 from eight races into her latest test.
Trained by Catherine Day Phillips, who co-owns (through her Kingfield Racing Stable, Ltd.) with Braconcrest Inc. and Apricot Valley Thoroughbreds, the dark bay launched her career with two consecutive victories, both at seven panels on the E.P. Taylor turf, including a half-length score in her career bow last July.
“I trained Millie Girl’s dam, Mendocino Beano, for the Fitzhenrys (breeders and owners, Sean and Dorothy) and she was very talented,” noted Day Phillips. “I was very excited to have Millie Girl, named after Dorothy’s beloved dog, in our barn.”
Since her first two appearances, Millie Girl has raced three times on the Tapeta, twice at seven furlongs, and once 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 Ontario Matron will be her fourth consecutive stakes engagement. She was third in both the Royal North (G2T) and Nassau (G2T), the latter won by multiple Grade 1 winner Fev Rover (IRE), with Canada’s 2022 horse of the year, Canadian Stakes (G2T) victress Moira, finishing second.
Millie Girl, a $67,000 (U.S.) Keeneland Association November Breeding Stock Sale purchase in 2021, was a determined second in her most recent outing, the Seaway (G3) on September 17.
“She has shown talent from the start of her training,” said Day Phillips, of the mare bred in Ontario by Sean Fitzhenry. “She has taken time to develop both mentally and physically, but she has been worth the wait.”
Kevin Pena Salgado is the groom.
Other starters include multiple graded stakes winners Il Malocchio and Souper Hoity Toity, stakes winners Mouffy and Strega, and multiple graded stakes-placed Angelou.
First post time is 1:15 p.m. Fans can also watch and wager on all the action via HPIbet.com, bet365, and the Dark Horse Bets app.
Field for the Ontario Matron
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Ephrata (GB) – Eswan Flores – Josie Carroll
2 – Il Malocchio – Sahin Civaci – Martin Drexler
3 – Mouffy – Kazushi Kimura – Jonathan Thomas
4 – Do You Love Me (S) – Gaddiel Martinez – W. John Bourke
5 – Souper Hoity Toity – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
6 – Whimsical Dance – Ryan Munger – Gail Cox
7 – Saratoga Vision – Justin Stein – Alexander Patykewich
8 – Millie Girl – Rafael Hernandez – Catherine Day Phillips
9 – Devil’s Bit – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Roger Attfield
10 – Angelou – Luis Contreras – Kevin Attard
11 – Strega – Luis Contreras – Kevin Attard
12 – Tamarama (GB) – Declan Carroll – Jack Sisterson
