Dixie Moon set for Woodbine Oaks this Saturday

Sean and Dorothy Fitzhenry’s bred and owned, Dixie Moon (Curlin – Dixie Chicken, by Rahy), had her final work before the Oaks last Saturday for Trainer Catherine Day Phillips.

Jockey Eurico Rosa da Silva was aboard for the work, a 5 furlong breeze in 1:00:6 on the main track in sync with older half brother Guy Caballero (photo)

This Saturday’s $500,000 Woodbine Oaks,  a 1 1/8 mile race for Canadian-bred three-year-old fillies, attracted a field of five and is race 11 on the card.

Dixie Moon is coming off of a second place finish in the G3 Selene Stakes where sat off the pace and drove home for second after experiencing a troubled trip on May 19.

As published on Woodbine.com…. “She showed a new element there, by relaxing off the pace,” said Catherine Day Phillips, “She was very content to move when Eurico asked her.”

Dixie Moon was a Sovereign Award finalist after defeating Canadian-bred males in the 1 1/16 mile Cup and Saucer on the grass and Ontario-bred females in the 1 1/16 mile Ontario Lassie over the Tapeta.

The Curlin filly also contested two Grade 1 one-mile stakes on the turf, running second here in the Natalma (with Wonder Gadot a head back) and a decent sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar.

After training at Florida’s Palm Meadows over the winter, Dixie Moon returned to action at Keeneland on April 8 in the one-mile Appalachian but was a non-factor in finishing last of nine over yielding going.

“She obviously didn’t run well,” said Day Phillips. “She didn’t like the surface, and her blood test was a little funky. But it’s behind us now; she came back and ran a big race.”

Day Phillips and Da Silva won the Woodbine Oaks with Neshama in 2016.

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