Maple Leaf Stakes (Grade 3)- $175.00 Purse
WO- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Quarter on the Dirt
November 7, 2026

Welcome to BC Hangover Weekend, where we are all still thinking about what happened at KEE last week and either celebrating the results or wondering what might have been. While we do that, the racing calendar never stops and continues to provide entertaining races that simply have a hard act to follow. The Maple Leaf Stakes is an appealing ten furlong race for female horses, and we can see a few in this field who clearly were hoping they would be BC quality, but ran into those who were simply a little faster along the way. We also see the up and comers who likely were never on the BC trail, but have high hopes about what 2027 may have in store for them. Last year’s race was won by TwinTowersRacing’s Be Exceptional (at 54/1), a then five year old mare who was able to experience what the BC was like in 2024 in the Fillies and Mares Turf. She raced into May this year, and has since been retired with over $1,200.00 in earnings. She certainly was exceptional, and now this field of seven look to follow her lead. Here’s the field!

1- Brandy Outside (The Sidley Stud, ridden by D Moran)- A three year old filly that saw a lot of starts early in her career at fair tracks or even the free tracks, picking some wins at those places that are not going to intimidate the others in this field. She hasn’t since turned into Magnum Opus, but she did win the $75.00 WV Breeders Classic Distaff last month. But, I hate to say it, that wasn’t exactly a loaded field. Whether or not she has what it takes to be competitive against this company is still very undecided, and we’ll see on Saturday.

2- Attack Angel (The Sidley Stud, ridden by P Moran)- Perhaps The Sidley Stud thought that this race would come up weaker being a week after the BC. Attack Angel is another horse who, until, her last race, had been at free or fair tracks her entire career. Like can be said about a good football team with a strong record and a soft strength of schedule, you can only beat who’s on the other side of the field. For Attack Angel, she could only beat those she was up against, and was consistently able to do so. This did lead to her running in the Grade 3 ONT Matron here last time out, something that separates her from her stablemate. She was fourth there, and hopes to build on that now.

3- Three Sixes (Pan Farms, ridden by R M Hernandez)- She’s been far away from those fair tracks, and was instead on the KYO trail. Three Sixes would win two preps, taking the Grade 2 Golden Rod at CD and then the $300.00 Martha Washington at OP. After two more times of hitting the board, she was safely into the KYO and seemed like she could be a contender. That never happened, and she’s only raced three times since, but fared well, highlighted by running second in the Grade 1 CCA Oaks at SAR. Despite not really hearing her name much of late, she hasn’t seem to have lost ability, so it appears the trainer is just being patient. Certainly one of the favorites here. If she’s on her game, she can win this with daylight back to second.

4- Anoushka On Tap (Winning Link Stables, ridden by L Salles)- This four year old filly is looking for her first win on the year, but the season has not been a complete lost cause. After struggling mightily in her first two starts in 2026, she has bounced back to hit the board in her next three, and this includes the Grade 3 ONT Matron, where she was one spot better than Attack Angel. Highlights last year including a runner up in the Grade 1 Alabama, but it’s been 17 months since her last win. I don’t like her carrying three more pounds than everyone else in the field.

5- West Coast Girls (Diablo Diablo, ridden by H M Vanek)- From the horse that finished second in the Grade 1 Alabama last year to the one that did so, that factoid is not the only think that West Coast Girls has with Anoushka On Tap. Unfortunately for both, they are also each winless on the year. West Coast Girls has made seven starts, and finished second three times, but those are the only times that she has hit the board. Her last win came $100.00 Untapable at FG in December. Needs to be better than she was last time out in the Beldame, and in general needs to find more consistency.

6- Eight Became Four (The Sidley Stud, ridden by S Civaci)- Another fair track star that The Sidley Stud brings to the race. She’s spent her entire three year old campaign at BTP, FP, FON, and TUP. Did run off a five race winning streak, but do you see Three Sixes shaking over where they came from? As said previously, a horse can only race on the track in which they are entered, and she took care of business. Is she graded quality? We’ll see soon.

7- All Or Nothing (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by E J Wilson)- Not a horse that has won a lot during her career, but this may be one of her best chances to do so in a while. She’s 2-for-13 overall, but while others have been at BTP, she has been regularly running in graded races such as the Black Eyed Susan and the CT Oaks. She wasn’t pretty in the latter, but this is not the CT Oaks. Still a few in here she might have a hard time with, but I think she can still cash a check here.

Prediction: 3-5-4-7

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES