Star Shoots
$125.000 For Fillies Three Years Old
6 Furlongs – Dirt
Woodbine – April 25, 2026

Well, one preview prediction was right, the track came up sloppy at Woodbine for this one. What I didn’t get right is what matters and that is that Iron Hooves would cross the wire in front. The signs were there. I had noted that she won her last race by five lengths and that dominating win was the first time she had run on Lasix which she would run on again in the Star Shoots. She would go off at 35-1 so I wish I had paid more attention to those signs. 

Winner: Iron Hooves  (Angelos Stable/L. Salles) Shark Cage/Dialing (Canading) Stalked the early leaders Smugglers Point and Party At The Shire in tandem with Shes Chasing Me down the backstretch. Moved outside of the two early pacesetters at the top of the stretch and took the lead with a furlong to go. Held off the fast closing Extra Red to take home the win. 

Second: Extra Red (The Sidley Stud/L. Contreras) Extra Tech/Red Lucy (Ned Isakoff) Sat last early as the field of six ran in pairs of two early. Was asked to run midway on the far turn. Swung widest of all entering the stretch and found her best stride late. Was closing fast but did not have enough ground left to become a serious threat this time.

Third: Party At The Shire (Nakamura Stables/D.Z. Gaskin) Gandolf/Hard Pinnacle Party (Pinnacle West) There was almost call to set off the fireworks in the Shire as the Nakamura homebred daughter of Gandalf set the pace early and grittily tried to hold on but relinquished the lead late ending up a good third to earn her first stakes placing. 

Fourth: Crazy Coco (Yates Racing/P. Husbands) Prince George/Tequila (Diplomatic Immunity) Ran in the back pair with Extra Red. Ducked inside at the top of the stretch and closed steadily to gain the final check. 

Preview Pick: Extra Red – second.

The win was the first stakes triumph for Iron Hooves who is a homebred filly from the Angelos Stable. This was her third win in six lifetime starts and it also marked her first race at less than a mile. Iron Hooves became the first stakes winner for both her sire and dam and it was also the first Star Shoots win for Angelos Stable as well as jockey L. Salles. The $60.000 winner’s share of the purse brings the career earnings for Iron Hooves to $123.970.

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded