2025 Nassau Stakes Preview

Key Takeaways:

• Caitlinhergrtness headlines the Nassau Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack as the 2-1 morning-line favorite after a dominant seasonal debut in the Belle Mahone and brings proven class from last year’s King’s Plate and G1 Queen Elizabeth II placings.
• Sweet Rebecca looks live off a sharp allowance win at Keeneland; despite her inexperience, she’s 3-for-5 lifetime and handles the mile well with a stalking style suited to this group.
• Austere, fresh off a runner-up finish in the Gallorette, brings strong recent form and versatility at the mile distance, though a bounce off that effort is a concern.
• Ms. Tart and Ocean Club are capable of upsetting with trip advantages—Ms. Tart stretches out off a Royal North shocker, while Ocean Club’s speed and class relief could earn her a big piece.

Older filly and mare turf milers take the stage Saturday, June 28, in the 2025 Nassau Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack. The race drew a field of 12 of the best turf mares in Canada, including last year’s King’s Plate winner Caitlinhergrtness.

In its history, which dates all the way back to 1956, its most notable winners include Canadian horse of the year and fillies’ classic namesake Wonder Where (1960), Breeders’ Stakes winner and Canadian horse of the year Momigi (1976, 1977), Breeders’ Stakes winner and six-time Canadian champion Carotene (1987), Queen’s Plate winner and Canadian horse of the year Lexie Lou (2016), and Canadian horse of the year Starship Jubilee (2017).

Nassau Stakes Information

• Race Date: Saturday, June 28
• Track: Woodbine Racetrack in Etobicoke, Ontario
• Post Time: 6:11 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: one mile on the E. P. Taylor outer turf course
• Age/Sex: four-year-olds and up, fillies and mares
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

2025 Nassau Stakes Draw and Odds

These are the 12 fillies and mares entered in the Nassau Stakes, including their post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds.

Nassau Stakes Prep Race Results

The 12 horses in the Nassau Stakes come out of nine different races, including five different graded-stakes races. Three come out of the 6 ½-furlong Royal North (G3) and stretch out to the mile for the Nassau: Ms. Tart rallied from last to overhaul Ready to Jam, upsetting the race at 70-1. Ready to Jam will try to turn the tables, as will Metaphysical, who ran on a belated fifth.

Two of the board-hitters from the Belle Mahone (G3), run at 1 1/16 miles on the all-weather, turn back to a mile and switch to the lawn for this. That includes winner Caitlinhergrtness, who is the morning-line favorite off of a five-length score in the Belle Mahone, as well as Ready for Shirl, who closed for third. One other comes out of another graded race at Woodbine, Blueberry Fields, who makes her first start since a well-beaten ninth in the Maple Leaf (G3) at 1 ¼ miles on the Tapeta last November.

Three others last raced in graded races in the United States. Austere rallied for second behind frontrunning longshot Charlene’s Dream in the Gallorette (G3) on Preakness day at Pimlico. Ocean Club heads north for her first start back in the barn of Tom Proctor; she was most recently third in the Gallorette. Mixologist makes her first start for Josie Carroll; she was with Brad Cox last year, for whom she most recently finished sixth behind Beautiful Love in the Jockey Club Oaks (G3) at Aqueduct last September.

One horse comes out of an ungraded stakes. Mission of Joy made an early bid and weakened to seventh in the Ms. Liberty, a 1 1/16-mile grass race May 25 at Monmouth.

The last two come out of victories in second-level allowance company. Crevalle d’Oro did it locally, winning a turf mile in rail-rallying fashion May 31. Sweet Rebecca, dropping down from graded company, won a turf mile at Keeneland on April 25.

Nassau Stakes Contenders

This is the field for the 2025 Nassau Stakes, from the rail out:

1. Blueberry Fields: She races for the first time since last November. To her credit, she won first off the layoff last year, but that came in a first-level allowance and not a stakes race like this. That also came on the Tapeta, not the turf—she has only run on the grass twice in her career. She was second in an optional claimer in one of those grass races, but has yet to run a race fast enough to fit this level, and may also run into trip trouble early, breaking from the fence in such a big field.
2. Crevalle d’Oro: This Mark Casse trainee, just four years old this year, figured it out third off the lay, winning an allowance at Woodbine Racetrack last month. Her form last year suggests she can move up off of that, though she certainly needs a career best to top the leaders in this field. The presence of high-percentage rider Patrick Husbands is a plus, though, as is the fact that she unveiled a nifty inside run to win last out, since she has a near-inside gate this time.
3. Ready for Shirl: A well-bred and lightly-raced four-year-old for Roger Attfield, she had her best outing in stakes company yet when third in the Belle Mahone last out. There could be more to find, as she is only four, and her pedigree is very much an older-horse pedigree. On the other hand, the mile may be on the short side for her, and she usually rallies from off the pace—given the composition of the field, she may not get much of a setup despite its size.
4. Caitlinhergrtness: She was the best Canadian sophomore of last year, winning the King’s Plate over males and finishing third in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) on the Keeneland grass. She picked up right where she left off, winning the Belle Mahone in her seasonal debut May 31. Pace-wise, she has a good stalking style—perfect for this 12-horse race without a ton of early pace.
5. Ready to Jam: Her form coming into this race is good, a half-length second in the Royal North. However, the distance is a huge question. Even though her pedigree reads as if the mile should work, her race form tells a different story. She has been well beaten in both tries at a mile, whereas her best form comes in turf sprints. Especially since she needs a career best anyway to beat the best in here, it’s hard to think she finds that over this distance.
6. Metaphysical: She steps up in trip after a troubled and belated fifth in the Royal North last out. Though she has yet to win at a mile on the turf, she has finished second in three of five starts and was also a close fourth in a stakes at the distance at Ellis two years ago. A win would be a surprise against this class of horses, but one of her better efforts could get her a spot in the exotics, especially since she does not have to drop too far off the pace.
7. Ms. Tart: She blew through her first- and second-level allowance conditions at Gulfstream Park earlier this year on the polytrack, and then shocked the public in the Royal North last out, winning at 70-1 odds. She returns to the grass for this, a plus, and the stretch out in distance means she may be a bit closer to the pace, another good point. However, she has been better over sprint distances despite a pedigree that, on paper, suggests she might get longer. And, she would need to reproduce, if not improve upon, a career-best last out.
8. Ocean Club: Ocean Club looked like an up-and-comer for trainer Tom Proctor over a year ago, but hasn’t been too consistent since leaving the barn. However, the highs are high. She is a Grade 3 winner at a mile at Aqueduct last September. She has picked up a few minor awards in stakes at Gulfstream Park and Pimlico this year, with her only out-of-the-exotics finish being a sixth in the Endeavour at Tampa Bay Downs. The inconsistency is a concern, but the Canada circuit is a class drop. She does frequently go fast enough to compare to this group, and her speed could get her a good trip.
9. Mixologist: The lightest-raced horse in the field, she has raced just four times and not since last September. Stamina is no question, as she won at a mile and 1 1/16 miles (by disqualification in the latter), and wasn’t a bad sixth in the 1 ⅜-mile Jockey Club Oaks. New trainer Josie Carroll is solid with horses coming in off lays and starting for the barn for the first time. However, her late-running style is not likely to get the best setup, so don’t take too short a price.
10. Sweet Rebecca: With only five starts, this four-year-old lacks experience, but she has won three of five, including a listed stakes last year at a mile on the lawn. Her last-out allowance win at Keeneland is particularly encouraging—she stalked close to the pace and held on to win by a neck in her first start in nine months, and her first start against older mares. This is a logical return to graded company.
11. Mission of Joy: This Graham Motion trainee has not been the most consistent, but she did win a third-level allowance at a mile on the Churchill lawn two back. She is a two-time graded winner early in her three-year-old year, and has nabbed some Grade 1 placings since. How much she liked the outer turf at Woodbine Racetrack is a question since she finished a weakening sixth in the Dance Smartly (G2) there last year, but she did make a bit of a run, and the shorter distance of this race might help her nab a piece.
12. Austere: She ran a good second in the Gallorette last out, rallying into a quick but uncontested pace in a race where the winner just forgot to stop. That came at 1 1/16 miles, but she has shown good form at the flat mile as well on both turf and all-weather, including a stakes win at Kentucky Downs over the distance as a juvenile. A little more speed to chase into would probably help, though, and there’s a risk she’ll bounce off a career-best effort last out.

Nassau Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the Nassau Stakes?

A: The Nassau Stakes happens on Saturday, June 28. The race is the 10th on the Woodbine card, and scheduled post is 6:11 p.m. EDT.

Q: Where is the Nassau Stakes?

A: The Nassau Stakes happens at Woodbine Racetrack in Etobicoke, Ontario.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Nassau Stakes?

A: Roger Attfield leads all trainers with four victories in the Nassau Stakes, most recently in 2022 with Lady Speightspeare. Attfield can extend his record to five if Ready for Shirl makes it to the winner’s circle.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Nassau Stakes?

A: The 2-1 morning-line favorite is Caitlinhergrtness for trainer Kevin Attard and jockey Rafael Hernandez. Given her consistent form and the fact that she comes off of a big win in the Belle Mahone, she should hold as the favorite.

Q: Who is the best Nassau Stakes jockey?

A: Todd Kabel leads all jockeys with five victories in the Nassau between 1994 and 2007. He is no longer actively riding, however. Among jockeys in the 2025 edition, Patrick Husbands (Crevalle d’Oro) and Emma-Jayne Wilson (Ready for Shirl) lead with two wins each.

Q: Who won the Nassau Stakes in 2024?

A: Implicated won the 2024 Nassau for trainer Brendan Walsh and jockey Declan Cannon. Walsh and Cannon return to the fray together in 2025 with Austere.

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