Sweet Briar Too

Purse $125.00 – For Fillies And Mares Three Years Old And Upward

6 Furlongs – Turf – Woodbine – September 19, 2026

An extremely wide trip was no problem for the highly accomplished Fun Dip, who captured the 5th edition of the Sweet Briar Too as the post-time favorite. This six-year-old mare has now run on the Woodbine turf eight times in her career, never finishing off the board with five wins. With this being her fifth stakes win in twelve lifetime starts, the daughter of Roger Rabbit increased her purse earnings to $979.11. It was a meaningful victory for owner Jokerjoes as he added the Sweet Briar Too to his résumé for the first time since the inaugural running in 2022. The most impressive part of this performance was the final time for the six furlongs, as Fun Dip and jockey Luis Contreras stopped the clock in 1:08.36. That time absolutely blew away the stakes record and now belongs to this well-deserving mare. Proven both around two turns and sprinting, this versatile California-bred should have no shortage of options through the final months of the 2026 season. A big congratulations to the connections on this eye-catching win!

Winner: Fun Dip – (Jokerjoes, L. Contreras) Fun Dip settled near the rear of the field leaving the gate while racing four-wide through an opening quarter of 22.65. She dropped to last, only about a couple lengths back and began to gather momentum around the turn. Still near the back as the field completed a half-mile in 45.56, jockey Luis Contreras had this six-year-old mare running the clear and asked for her best turning for home. Fun Dip responded with a powerful outside rally, quickly advancing into third before running down the leaders inside the final sixteenth. She edged clear late by a neck to complete the six furlongs in a record-setting 1:08.36—an especially impressive performance considering all the extra ground she covered. Well done!

Second Place: Falling Cougar – (Nakamura Stables, E J. Wilson) The daughter of Falling Angel broke well and settled into a ground-saving position down on the rail in fourth, just a length behind the leaders. She continued to travel comfortably along the inside down the backstretch before beginning to advance around the turn. After the field passed the quarter pole, Falling Cougar moved into third and then took over second near the final furlong. The seven-year-old mare could not match Fun Dip’s powerful outside rally, but she continued fighting through the final yards and edged ahead of Drole de Fille to secure a nice runner-up finish. Falling Cougar continues to be extremely consistent as she has failed to finish off the board in six consecutive starts this year.

Third Place: Drole de Fille – (Axeman, S. Civaci) One of two fillies who were entered and didn’t have any surprises leaving the gate. Drole de Fille broke sharply and pressed the early pace with Bohemian Bourbon on the outside as the opening quarter went in 22.65. She continued applying pressure around the turn before taking command and completing the half-mile in 45.56. The grey opened a clear one-length advantage entering the stretch and remained in front through five furlongs in 57.05, but Fun Dip was rapidly closing on the far outside. This Kentucky-bred surrendered the lead inside the final sixteenth and was narrowly passed by Falling Cougar late, leaving her with a third-place finish after doing much of the work up front. Not a bad effort at all.

Fourth Place: Mad Magazine – (Temulac Farm, P. Moran) Mad Magazine was only making her second start against stakes company in her seventeenth career race. She ended up settling near the back of the field, racing in sixth about two lengths off the pace. The daughter of Funny Cide remained behind horses around the turn and briefly dropped to last as the field straightened for home. Once jockey Pietro Moran guided her into the clear, Mad Magazine began to find her best stride and worked her way past several tiring rivals through the final furlong. She was unable to threaten the leading trio but continued gaining ground through the wire to secure fourth place. Connections are currently trying to sell this mare in the private sales forum if interested.

– AJM

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded