Saturday’s E.P. Taylor Stakes (G1) is the afternoon’s main event at Woodbine’s Turf Festival. The feature for fillies and mares will be contested at 1 ¼ miles on the renovated E.P. Taylor turf course, which reopened a couple of weeks ago after a major renovation.
It is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win, and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) at Keeneland on Oct. 31.
The race began in 1956 as the Nettie Handicap and was renamed in 1981 for Edward Plunket Taylor, Ontario Jockey Club president, Windfields Farm founder, and breeder of Northern Dancer. It has been contested at 1 ¼ miles on turf since 1968 and is now a Grade 1 with a strong international reputation for quality and competitiveness.
This year’s group is heavily European and American-shipped, with one home-track closer.
Diamond Rain (7-5) is the Godolphin/Appleby/Buick entry and the most accomplished shipper. She finished second to She Feels Pretty in last year’s E.P. Taylor and third in the BC Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar.
She opened her 2026 campaign with a third behind See The Fire in the Middleton Stakes (G2) at York, a head second in the Hoppings Stakes (G3) over Newcastle’s all-weather, and a listed win at York in July. She is a tactical mid-pack runner who stays 10–11 furlongs and already knows this course. A repeat of her 2025 effort would make her very hard to beat.
South African import and champion Gimme a Nother (5-2) will break from the inside for trainer Graham Motion and jockey John Velazquez. The 6-year-old South African champion was unbeaten in seven starts at home before shipping to Motion. She won the John C. Mabee (G2) at Del Mar in 2025, the Eatontown Stakes (G3) at Monmouth this June by 3 ½ lengths after pressing the pace, and the Beverly D Stakes (G2) at Colonial Downs on Aug. 1 by a neck over Achieve. She is a versatile stalker-presser who finishes strongly and already has a near-miss at Woodbine (second in the 2025 Canadian Stakes). The rail draw and Velazquez are plusses if she can sit a clean trip.
Britain-bred See The Fire (7-2), for Andrew Balding and jockey Robert Hornby, is a Sea The Stars mare who won the Middleton Stakes (G2) at York (twice) and was a short-neck for second in last year’s Prix de l’Opéra (G1) before a disappointing ninth in the Breeders’ Cup. She won her first two 2026 starts (a listed stakes and the Middleton) in frontrunner/stalking fashion, then was sixth in the Prince of Wales’s (G1) at Royal Ascot and a well-beaten third in the Nassau at Goodwood. She is a front-running or prominently placed type who could dictate or press the early pace. The wide draw is the main concern if she has to use energy early.
Achieve (10-1), for Mark Casse and jockey Javier Castellano, is a Justify filly coming off a neck second to Gimme a Nother in the Beverly D. It took her six starts dating back to 2024 to break her maiden and has been exceptional since with two allowance wins and the aforementioned second at Colonial Downs. Stretching out a little should not be too much of an issue, so expect her to race mid-pack or just off the leaders early with enough in the tank for a determined run down the lane.
Ireland-bred Jancis (12-1) is a 5-year-old Tamayuz mare who won the Dahlia Stakes (G2) at Newmarket in May after sitting off a fast pace and grinding home, then was a respectable fifth in the Lanwades Stud Stakes (G2) at the Curragh and second in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot in June. Her Falmouth Stakes (G1) fifth was less than inspiring, but it can be argued that the competition here isn’t so tough. Most of her best work has come at a mile to 9 furlongs, so the extra ground is a question. She typically settles mid-pack and finds a late kick on good-to-firm going. Willie McCreery trains and Hector Berrios ships in from California to ride.
Somethinabouther (12-1), for Brendan Walsh and jockey Junior Alvarado, is a 4-year-old Mendelssohn filly who won the Mazarine Stakes (G3) here as a 2-year-old and has been knocking on the door this year with thirds in allowances at Keeneland and Churchill Downs.
She is more of a closer who will need an honest pace and a clean trip from mid-pack, and this is a sharp class rise, so watch the tote board for a strong exotics play if you like her chances to hit the board.
Venetian Lace (15-1) is the lone 3-year-old in the field, and the Ireland-bred daughter of Masar was third in the 1000 Guineas (G1) at 33-1, then finished last in the Oaks and last in the Falmouth. The step back to 10 furlongs on this big galloping course is the theory her connections believe will help her, but her recent form is weak enough to wonder. She will likely race off the pace and make one run late. Trained by Charlie Johnston, she will be ridden by Jamie Spencer, whose patient riding style could help if the race falls apart late.
Sultana (20-1), the local hope for Kevin Attard and Umberto Rispoli, is a multiple graded-stakes winner seeking her first Grade 1. She took the Maple Leaf Stakes (G3) last November and the Orchid Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream in March over 1 ½ miles. Over the summer, the Always Dreaming mare was third in the Nassau Stakes (G2) at a mile and fourth in the Niagara Stakes at 1 ⅜ miles on the inner turf. Attard, who won this race with Starship Jubilee and Full Count Felicia, says she has not shown her best in those two starts and wants pace to run at. She is a deep closer who loves Woodbine’s long stretch.
“I don’t think we’ve seen the best of her in her past two starts, but that said, the last race in particular, she put in a good late run and had something left in the tank,” Attard said. “She loves some pace to run at, and she loves this distance, so the hope is there are some good early fractions set, and she finds herself in a position to use that long stretch run to take off with a late burst.”
| 1 | Gimme a Nother (SAF) | John Velazquez | Graham Motion | 5-2 |
| 2 | Achieve | Javier Castellano | Mark Casse | 10-1 |
| 3 | Jancis (IRE) | Hector Isaac Berrios | Willie McCreery | 12-1 |
| 4 | Diamond Rain (GB) | William Buick | Charlie Appleby | 7-5 |
| 5 | Somethinabouther | Junior Alvarado | Brendan Walsh | 12-1 |
| 6 | Venetian Lace (IRE) | Jamie Spencer | Charlie Johnston | 15-1 |
| 7 | Sultana | Umberto Rispoli | Kevin Attard | 20-1 |
| 8 | See The Fire (GB) | Robert Hornby | Andrew Balding | 7-2 |
Last Updated on 09/10/2026
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
