Woodbine will stage two competitive Woodbine Grade 3 Stakes on Sunday, November 1, with Speaker’s Speech set to lead the $175,000 Grey Stakes and Mrs D preparing for the $175,000 Mazarine Stakes Presented by Seedlip. Both contests will feature promising two-year-olds as leading trainers and jockeys prepare for an important afternoon of graded racing at the Toronto racetrack.
The Grey Stakes will attract seven runners over 1 1/16 miles on the main track, while the Mazarine Stakes will bring together five two-year-old fillies over the same distance. Both races will offer emerging talent an opportunity to strengthen their records at graded level.
Speaker’s Speech to Lead the Grey Stakes Field
Gold Standard Racing Stable LLC’s Speaker’s Speech will face his first two-turn assignment on the main track in the Grade 3 Grey Stakes. Trained by Mark Casse, the colt will line up alongside stablemate Play It Again, who will also represent the same ownership.
Speaker’s Speech will arrive following a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Algonquin on October 3. Despite encountering a wall of runners in the closing stages, he finished strongly once racing room opened and will now look to build on that performance over a longer distance.
Jockey Rafael Hernandez will retain the mount and will bring 14 stakes victories in 2026 into Sunday’s meeting. Hernandez will be aiming to guide the colt through his first attempt at two turns.
The son of Speaker’s Corner, out of the Summer Bird mare Danessa Deluxe, will have made his career debut in the Soaring Free Stakes on August 15 over the E.P. Taylor turf course. He finished just a head behind De la Renta, who will contest the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
Bred in Kentucky by Tommy Wente Jr. and Scott Stephens, Speaker’s Speech was purchased for $875,000 at the 2026 Ocala Breeders’ Sale Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training.
His recent preparation will include two four-furlong workouts over the Woodbine main track, both completed in :49.00, on October 18 and October 24.
The seven-horse field will also include Uncle Dodo and King’s Counsel, both trained by Barb Minshall, Authentic Gold, Okarito and Freedom Hall. Play It Again will break from post one under Fraser Aebly, while Speaker’s Speech will occupy post two with Hernandez.
Uncle Dodo will start from post three under Emma-Jayne Wilson, followed by King’s Counsel in post four with Daisuke Fukumoto. Authentic Gold will break from post five with Jose Campos, Okarito from post six with Ryan Munger, and Freedom Hall from post seven under Pietro Moran.
Hernandez and Casse will also bring a successful partnership record into the contest, having combined with God of Love to win the 2021 Grey Stakes. Hernandez will seek his fourth victory in the race, while Casse will target a sixth success.
Mrs D Seeks Another Graded Success in the Mazarine
Mrs D will head into Sunday’s Grade 3 Mazarine Stakes following her first graded victory in the Algonquin Stakes on October 3. Trained by Steven Chircop for JDLP Holdings, the daughter of Bolt d’Oro will face four rivals in the $175,000 contest.
The bay filly secured a half-length victory over five furlongs on the inner turf, defeating a competitive field that included promising runners. She will now face a significant distance test over 1 1/16 miles on the Woodbine main track.
Chircop will rely on her ability to settle during the early stages and maintain her finishing effort over the extended trip. Her performance in the Algonquin, where she came from off the pace, will provide encouragement as she prepares for the longer assignment.
Mrs D will also arrive following two encouraging workouts over the Woodbine main track. She covered four furlongs in :50.20 on October 16 before completing five furlongs in :59.60 on October 25.
Bred in Kentucky by Dixiana Farms, Mrs D was purchased for $100,000 at the 2025 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.
Her trainer will look to use the Mazarine as an opportunity to explore longer-distance options and strengthen her prospects for the coming season. The filly had also been considered for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, but that opportunity did not materialise.
Mrs D will break from post three under Jose Campos. Epic Affair will occupy post one with Ryan Munger for trainer Gail Cox, while Homeawayfromhome will start from post two under Pietro Moran for Brendan Walsh.
Sunday Finery will break from post four with Sahin Civaci for Jamie Begg, while Mo Cookie will complete the five-horse field from post five under Rico Walcott for Mike De Paulo.
The Mazarine will also carry a notable history at Woodbine. Trainer Mark Casse will hold the record with 10 victories, while jockey Patrick Husbands will lead the riders’ standings with eight successes. Inaugurated at Greenwood in 1965, the race moved to Woodbine in 1980, with Solar Park winning its first edition.
Woodbine’s Sunday programme will feature two $175,000 graded contests, with Speaker’s Speech leading the Grey Stakes field and Mrs D taking on four rivals in the Mazarine. Both two-year-olds will look to build on recent performances as they take on their respective distance challenges.
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