Woodbine Racecourse will host one of its notable summer turf events on Saturday as Miss Vyvyanne attempts to continue her impressive run of form in the $200,000 Highlander Stakes (G2T). The six-year-old mare heads into the contest with four straight victories on the Woodbine inner turf course, a record that has made her one of the leading names in the field.
Owned by Ralph R. Murray and Calstar Farm, Miss Vyvyanne has developed a strong connection with the Toronto venue’s tighter inner turf layout. The daughter of Rainbow Heir, out of Half Ours mare Caribean Beat, has produced a sequence of convincing performances over the five-furlong trip and will return to the same distance against six rivals.
The Highlander Stakes is the focus keyword for this article.
Trainer Gail Cox believes the course configuration has played a key role in Miss Vyvyanne’s success. The shorter turns and compact stretch appear to suit her racing style, allowing the mare to use her acceleration effectively in the closing stages.
“I think it’s the sharper turns on the inner that she enjoys,” Cox said. “She handles them so well, she kicks away down the lane and the stretch is shorter. She truly is a five-eighths horse. She has a very efficient stride on the turf.”
Miss Vyvyanne began her current winning streak last June with back-to-back five-furlong victories at Woodbine. She added further wins in August and October before continuing her progress during the winter campaign in Florida.
Cox and Murray claimed the mare for $32,000 last June, and the decision quickly proved successful. After a fifth-place finish on the main track at Woodbine, Miss Vyvyanne improved steadily and recorded four consecutive victories, including a 2 ¾-length success over Gulfstream’s synthetic surface in March.
Her latest win came in the Golden Beach overnight handicap at Gulfstream on April 11, where she covered five furlongs on good turf in :55.52.
“She ran huge in Florida,” Cox said. “She loves the track there. We had sent her home for a vacation when the turf season ended here at Woodbine, and she came back better than ever.”
The mare now steps into graded company following a strong second-place finish behind Little Teddy, the 2025 Sovereign Award winner as Canada’s Champion Female Sprinter, in a five-furlong main-track race on May 9.
Miss Vyvyanne has built a reputation for consistency throughout her career, with Cox praising her attitude and willingness to compete.
“When you watch her run, you don’t think she is going as fast as she is,” Cox said. “The one thing you always get with her is an honest effort. She is a great example of a horse who tries no matter where she runs.”
Bred in Florida by Tom McCrocklin and Gerald Martin, Miss Vyvyanne enters the Highlander Stakes with a record of 11 wins, three seconds and one third from 24 starts, earning $420,431 in prize money.
The mare has continued preparations smoothly, including a four-furlong breeze in :51.60 over the Woodbine turf training track on June 12 and a :47.40 workout over the main track one week later.
Cox said the recent work was designed to keep Miss Vyvyanne ready without overextending her.
“She’s great in the mornings, very easy to deal with. She would want to train hard if you let her, but she’s just so easy to work with and just seems to get everything.”
The Highlander Stakes field includes Miss Vyvyanne, G T Five Hundred, Foxtrotanna, Outlaw Kid, Western Whirl, Golden Afternoon and Ready to Collect. Pietro Moran will ride Miss Vyvyanne for trainer Gail Cox.
The Highlander Stakes remains a key Woodbine turf event, and Miss Vyvyanne will aim to add another memorable chapter to her growing record over the inner course.
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