What is the Ontario Colleen Stakes?
The Ontario Colleen Stakes is a Grade III Thoroughbred race held annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Contested at 1 mile on the turf exclusively for 3-year-old fillies, it is one of the most important turf prep races for sophomore fillies on the Canadian racing calendar and a key summer benchmark for the division targeting the Woodbine Oaks and the fall championship circuit. Inaugurated in 1979 at Fort Erie Racetrack, the Ontario Colleen moved to Woodbine the following year and has been a fixture of the Canadian stakes season ever since. Trainer Mark Casse has dominated the race in the modern era, winning a remarkable eight times including five consecutive editions from 2017 to 2022 — the most dominant run in the race's history. Patrick Husbands leads all jockeys with five wins. The stakes record of 1:33.32 was set by Leigh Court for Josie Carroll in 2013. Got Stormy, the 2019 American Champion Female Turf Horse, won the Ontario Colleen as a 3-year-old in 2018 before going on to international Group 1 glory.
