The Sweet Briar Too Stakes will bring an eight-horse field to Woodbine Racetrack on Saturday, September 19, with graded stakes winner Miss Vyvyanne set to take on seven rivals over six furlongs on the E.P. Taylor turf course. The $125,000 feature will be for fillies and mares aged three and up and will form one of the main races on the Saturday programme.
Trained by Gail Cox for owners Ralph R. Murray and Calstar Farm, six-year-old Miss Vyvyanne will return to Woodbine after building an impressive record over the Toronto track. The daughter of Rainbow Heir, out of the Half Ours mare Caribean Beat, will make the switch from the inner turf course to the E.P. Taylor turf for the Sweet Briar Too Stakes.
Miss Vyvyanne will arrive with five consecutive wins on Woodbine’s inner turf course. Her winning sequence will begin with two five-furlong victories last June before she will add further wins in August and October. The highlight of the run will come in the Grade 2 Highlander Stakes on June 27, when she will score by two lengths.
Sweet Briar Too Stakes Will Mark Miss Vyvyanne’s E.P. Taylor Return
Miss Vyvyanne will enter the Sweet Briar Too Stakes after finishing sixth in the 5½-furlong Smart and Fancy Stakes at Saratoga on August 14. The race will be contested on yielding turf, and the softer conditions will not suit the mare. Trainer Gail Cox will expect a different performance at Woodbine if the E.P. Taylor turf remains firm.
The mare will already have experience over the E.P. Taylor course. She will have recorded a seven-and-a-quarter-length victory over six furlongs on October 28, 2023, when racing for different connections. That performance will provide a useful reference as she prepares for another six-furlong assignment on the course.
Cox will also have been encouraged by Miss Vyvyanne’s latest workout. The mare will cover four furlongs in :48.00 on Woodbine’s turf training track on September 11. Her preparation will give the connections further confidence, particularly after she will gallop strongly following the exercise.
Miss Vyvyanne will enter Saturday’s contest with 12 wins, three seconds and one third from 26 starts. Her career purse earnings will stand at $507,971. She will be bred in Florida by Tom McCrocklin and Gerald Martin, while Carlos Balbuena will serve as her groom. Emma-Jayne Wilson will take the mount, with Miss Vyvyanne set to start from post four.
The field will also feature several runners from experienced trainers. Quadruple will start from post one for trainer Josie Carroll, with Ryan Munger aboard. Orderofthephoenix will line up from post two for Mark Casse, with Sahin Civaci taking the ride.
Casse will also send out Without Cause from post three, with Rafael Hernandez booked to ride. The trainer will therefore have two representatives in the eight-horse field.
ZZ’s will occupy post five for Josie Carroll, with Fraser Aebly named as the rider. Uphill Dance will start from post six for Rachel Halden and Jose Campos, while Lost and Found will take post seven for Brittany Russell with Romero Ramsay Maragh aboard.
Epic Style will complete the field from post eight for trainer Michael Stidham, with Pietro Moran set to take the mount.
The Sweet Briar Too Stakes will also carry a notable history at Woodbine. Winter Garden will win the inaugural running in 2004 for trainer Bob Tiller and owner Frank Di Giulio Jr. Moonlit Promise will later become a two-time winner after taking consecutive editions in 2017 and 2018. Oujda will win last year’s renewal.
The six-furlong contest will provide Miss Vyvyanne with another opportunity to demonstrate her ability over Woodbine turf. Her previous success on the E.P. Taylor course will give her an important point of reference, while the return to firmer conditions will be another factor to watch.
With eight runners scheduled to line up, the Sweet Briar Too Stakes will bring together a graded stakes winner, several experienced trainers and a field with varied Woodbine form. Miss Vyvyanne will carry the spotlight as she returns to E.P. Taylor, while the seven other runners will look to make their mark in Saturday’s $125,000 feature.
The Sweet Briar Too Stakes will feature Miss Vyvyanne and seven rivals over six furlongs on the E.P. Taylor turf course at Woodbine Racecourse on September 19.
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