Debut winner Mrs D meets eight in My Dear Stakes / Hesatrooper vies for victory in Victoria
.jpg)
TORONTO, July 9, 2026 – Mrs D, an impressive first-time out winner for JDLP Holdings Inc., steps up to the stakes ranks for Sunday’s $125,000 My Dear at Woodbine.
Bred in Kentucky by Dixiana Farms LLC, Mrs D arrives at the 5 ½-furlong main track fixture for 2-year-old fillies off a superlative score in her debut on May 31 at the Toronto oval.
Sent off as the 8-5 favourite in the 5-furlong maiden special weight sprint, the Steven Chircop trainee veered outward at the break but quickly recovered. She took command approaching the turn for home and drew away in the stretch, cruising to a three-length victory in :59.22.
“She won easily enough,” said Chircop. “Jose [jockey, Campos] said she wasn’t getting tired, but when she built her lead, she was waiting on horses. She was pretty green not knowing what she was doing.
“She’s a well-behaved horse, too. She ran a big number, and she ran a big race, which we were expecting. Now the waters get deeper, so fingers crossed.”
The multiple stakes winning trainer anticipated a strong debut based on a series of strong works heading into the race.
“We thought she was a good horse from the get-go. From her first work, she was on top of her game.
“Typically, with the 2-year-olds in our barn, we like to keep them together in their works. And she just had this willingness to go forward from the very beginning. We felt she could have been one work short going into her first race, but I felt she was good enough to overcome that and she showed she was. She could have gone faster in her works if we had wanted her to, but she did it so easily. Her recovery was amazing, too. She would get back to the barn and not be blowing it all.”
Chircop, who last year posted his third consecutive season of $1 million in purse earnings, is expecting a much tougher test on Sunday, but believes Mrs D is ready for the challenge.
“It’s tough with young horses because at times, you can see the foundation of talent, but mentally, that might not match up with the physical abilities. But she is pretty easy to train and is straightforward. That’s part of the reason she developed so fast and so early. It’s a step up, but let’s hope she’s up for the challenge.”
The daughter of Bolt d’Oro out of the Distorted Humor mare True Elegance was a $100,000 (USD) purchase at the 2025 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.
Dean Hardman is the groom.
Recent works: Mrs D recorded a trio of works ahead of the My Dear, all at 4 furlongs on the main track.
On June 20 and one week later, she covered the distance in :48.00. On July 5, she stopped the timer in :48.40.
“She did all three very well,” said Chircop. “She could have gone faster, but with 2-year-olds you have to be careful because you don’t want shins to be an issue. She has had those three nice works, and it should set her up well for this race.”
Fast Facts: Air Sure won the inaugural edition of the My Dear in 1941. Owned by Conn Smythe, the bay went 11-6-10 from 75 career starts.
Wagering menu for the My Dear: Includes Rolling Double / Exacta / 0.20 Trifecta / 0.20 Superfecta / $1 Swinger.
Field for the $125,000 My Dear Stakes
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – March – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Mark Casse
2 – Almighty One – Carlos Barbosa – Kevin Rice
3 – Gone and Plenty – Pietro Moran – Joe Sharp
4 – Ghost Me – Sahin Civaci – George Weaver
5 – Sarayu – Rafael Hernandez – Jamie Begg
6 – Mo Cookie – Leo Salles – Mike De Paulo
7 – Mrs D – Jose Campos – Steven Chircop
8 – Barometric – Rocco Bowen – Timothy Hamm
9 – Worldly Charm (S) – Fraser Aebly – Mark Casse
-0-
Hesatrooper vies for victory in Victoria
TORONTO, July 9, 2026 – Seven 2-year-olds, including Hesatrooper, will travel 5 ½ furlongs over the Woodbine main track in Sunday’s co-featured $125,000 Victoria Stakes.
Trained by John Ross for owners JC Stable and Duane Passero, the son of Army Mule out of the unraced Stormy Atlantic mare Obaasan heads into his first stakes test off an impressive winning debut on June 21.
Sent off as the 5-2 second choice in the 4 ½-furlong maiden claiming main track race, Hesatrooper got away well and set the early tone before sprinting away down the lane for a 5 ¼-length score in :52.56.
Ross, a lifetime winner of 629 races and 39 stakes, was relieved to see the gelding go unclaimed for a $40,000 price tag.
“I liked him a lot,” said Ross. “I lived on the edge a little bit if someone had taken him. Usually, people watch the first time, and fortunately, it worked out for us.
“He got some confidence out of this race, he learned something and it was all a good thing.”
As for what stood out most in terms of the effort, Ross pointed to the horse’s energy and enthusiasm down the lane.
“He started off a little green, looking around, which Pietro [jockey, Moran] mentioned. He took a hold of him just to keep his mind on business, but when a horse came close to him turning for home, he took off. The way he took off, particularly from the eighth-pole and how he galloped out, I was impressed by that. He got a 75 speed figure, which was nice.
“When you see them finish like that and gallop out like that, it’s a great sign. He was good in the gate, too. We did a lot of work in the gate with him and he broke very well. When you see young horses do that like an old pro, it makes you feel like you’ve done your homework.”
What has Ross learned about Hesatrooper in the weeks after his milestone win?
“He came back from the race in excellent order. He’s a bit of a tough little guy. I just learned that this horse is maturing all the time and getting better. He’s still growing, too.”
Hesatrooper was a $15,000 (CDN) purchase at the 2025 Canadian Premier Yearling Sale.
“Hill ‘n’ Dale always breeds some nice horses, and they do a great job,” said Ross. “Glenn Sikura and Hill ‘n’ Dale produce some nice horses that go through the sale, and this is another good one we picked out from them. I appreciate how they go about their breeding and I have had plenty of good luck with their horses.”
Earl “Shorty” Marriott is the groom.
Recent works: On July 2, Hesatrooper worked 5 furlongs in 1:02.60 over the Woodbine dirt track ahead of the Victoria.
“I had Pietro work him,” noted Ross. “He worked with another 2-year-old, a filly. Pietro was really happy with him. It was a hot day. My instructions that day were to go 1:02 and change. On a hot day, pushing them too hard is counterproductive. I thought an in-between five-eighths would be perfect for him. Pietro was happy with it and I was, too. He galloped out nicely.
“The thing I liked about the work was that it was just like his race. When he was done, he just kept going. You love seeing things like that in young horses.”
Fast Facts: Spring won the inaugural running of the Victoria in 1903. Sound Reason won the 1976 running, capping off three straight years trainer Gil Rowntree won the race. Casson won last year’s edition.
Wagering menu for the Victoria: Includes Rolling Double / Exacta / 0.20 Trifecta / 0.20 Superfecta / 0.20 Pick 3 (Races 7-8-9) / 0.20 Pick 4 (Races 7-8-9-10) / $1 Swinger.
Field for the $125,000 Victoria Stakes
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Titan Ready – Eswan Flores – Sid Attard
2 – Hesatrooper – Pietro Moran – John Ross
3 – Uncle Kef – Carlos Barbosa – Kevin Rice
4 – Frost Rocket – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Krista Cole
5 – Uncle Dodo – Romero Ramsay Maragh – Barb Minshall
6 – Klassen (S) – Rafael Hernandez – Kevin Attard
7 – Merckx – Jose Campos – Dale Desruisseaux
-30-
Chris Lomon, Woodbine
