TORONTO, April 29, 2026 – Trainer Kevin Attard will send out American Women and Lithe Spirit in Saturday’s $150,000 Whimsical Stakes Presented by Crown Royal (G3) at Woodbine.
A 4-year-old daughter of Constitution out of the Smart Strike mare Smartly Agree, American Women heads into her first graded stakes test off a pair of winning efforts, including a 4 ¾-length score over 6 panels on the Gulfstream dirt track on March 26.
Attard, a three-time King’s Plate winner and Canada’s champion conditioner in 2024, lauded that performance and the 1 ½-length victory at 6 ½ furlongs over the Woodbine main track one race earlier, on Nov. 8, to close the curtain on her 2025 campaign.
“Obviously, two very nice races in a row,” said Attard. “The one here, she burst through a seam at the top of the stretch and then just powered home. You could see that she had plenty left in the tank at all times. It was an all-around impressive outing for her.
“At Gulfstream, it was a different style, where she set the pace and then kept on with it. She had come into it doing really well, so I can’t say I was surprised with what she did. It also showed she has the ability to run a different race and still be successful. As a trainer, you love to see that.” \u200b
The Whimsical, a 6-furlong main track fixture for fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, will mark the fifth occasion the Lanni Bloodstock LLC miss has raced at Woodbine and the third time she will travel over the Toronto oval’s main track.
“She has a win and a second over the main track here in those two previous starts, so hopefully, that form continues on Saturday,” said Attard, who has recorded 904 career wins, including 123 stakes victories. “It would be nice to see her get that first stakes win out of the way.”
Bred in Kentucky by Breffni Farms, American Women, 3-1-1- from 10 starts ($141,843 in purse earnings) has also competed at Churchill Downs, Ellis Park and Keeneland.
The filly has felt right at home in the Attard barn after wintering in Florida.
“It’s nice to see her face looking out at you. We’re glad she’s here.”
Beresford Lee is the groom.
Attard’s other entrant, Lithe Spirit, also heads into the Whimsical in winning form.
Owned by Bradley Thoroughbreds, Gainesway Stable, Laura Leigh Stable, Scott Estes, and Cambron Equine, LLC, the daughter of Speightstown out of the Ghostzapper mare Spooky Woods won her second straight edition of the Queen Stakes on March 14 at Turfway Park.
Under the tutelage of trainer Steve Asmussen and ridden by Rafael Hernandez, Canada’s champion rider of 2025, Lithe Spirit completed 6 furlongs on the Florence, KY, main track in 1:09.82.
“I watched the race a few times,” said Attard. “It was a very gutsy, very determined effort. She had to work hard to get it done, but you could see that she wasn’t going to be denied.”
From Oct. 29, 2024, to March 15, 2025, the chestnut reeled off four straight victories. She won the 2025 Wishing Well Stakes and Queen Stakes at Turfway, which followed allowance-level triumphs at Indiana and at Turfway, the latter contested on the turf.
“You watch those performances and what you see is a mare with a powerful kick,” noted Attard. “She has that ability to really shift into high gear and then sustain it when the real running starts.”
After a ninth in the Giant’s Causeway (G3T), she was sixth in the Hendrie (G3) at Woodbine. Back at Turfway the past winter, she was fourth in the Holiday Inaugural in December, and fifth in the Wishing Well in February.
Lithe Spirit debuted with an eighth at Oaklawn in March of 2024 and broke her maiden next time out in a maiden special weight race at 6 furlongs on the Lone Star Park dirt.
Bred in Kentucky by Yeguada Centurion S.L., the 5-year-old chestnut mare was sold for $485,000 at the 2023 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.
She brings a mark of 7-0-1 from 15, along with $364,689 in career purse earnings, into her second Woodbine stakes engagement.
“You can see the confidence she has in herself,” said Attard.
Mark Walcott is the groom.
Recent works: American Women’s most recent pair of works came over the Woodbine main track – a pair of 4-furlong breezes, both in :48.20, on April 18 and April 25.
“She looked very sharp in both, just like she did in her works at Palm Meadows,” said Attard. “She’s all business whenever she gets on the track, morning or afternoon. We’re very happy with how she is coming into the race.”
Lithe Spirit past two works, also at 4 panels, were over the Woodbine main track. She covered the distance in :49.80 on April 15 and in :49.00 on April 22.
“She looked strong in both, and she looks ready to go,” said Attard. “She galloped out nicely in both those moves. She has a nice stride, very athletic and fluid.”
Wagering menu for the Whimsical: Includes Rolling Double, Exacta, 0.20 Trifecta, .20 Superfecta, 0.20 Pick 3 (Races 9-10-11), $1 Swinger.
Fast facts: Dave Penna and recently retired Patrick Husbands hold the record for most Whimsical wins (6) by a jockey. Co-owners Larkin Maloney and Conn Smythe won three straight editions of the race, from 1958-60. Dual hall of fame conditioner Mark Casse has the most trainer wins (6).
Need to know: First race post time on Saturday is 1:20 p.m. Fans can wager on all the action with HPIbet.com.
Field for the $150,000 Whimsical Stakes (G3)
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Ms. Bucchero – Ryan Munger – Mark Casse
2 – Maximum Fifty – Daisuke Fukumoto – Robert Tiller
3 – Quadruple (GB) – Fraser Aebly – Josie Carroll
4 – Reagan’s Flame – Sahin Civaci – Saffie Joseph, Jr.
5 – Lithe Spirit – Rafael Hernandez – Kevin Attard
6 – Brindi (IRE) – Sofia Vives – Kelsey Danner
7 – American Women – Pietro Moran – Kevin Attard
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Chris Lomon, Woodbine
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