The 17th Running of the G3 Hendrie Stakes

Sunday, July 24, 2022

WO Race #3 $150.000 6.5 Furlongs

3+ F&M 118/123 Lbs (plus penalties)

Track Record-1:14.73 (Aggravating-2021)

Stakes Record-1:15.20 (Dan Patch-2021)

After beginning her career last September with a 7th-place finish in a free race at MNR, Oceanus didn’t return to the races for four months.  Her sixteen rivals from three races this season probably wish she had ectended her vacation.  A perfect three-for-three now in 2022, Sunday’s G3 Hendrie Stakes was the stakes-debut for the Wood Duck Stables-trainee.  After displaying a powerful turn of foot through the WO stretch and cruising home a length and a quarter in front of stablemate Jenga, she may be a name to fear when entries are drawn in the F&M Sprint division going forward.

Away from stall seven in the nine-horse field, Oceanus sat back in 6th/7th as Jenga went to the front.  The evntual winner raced in the two path about five lengths off of the pace as Jenga posted a quarter in :22.92 and half in :46.08.  Unleashing her run at the five-sixteenths pole after turning into the stretch, Oceanus passed her stablemate just as she posted three-quarters in 1:10.43.

Oceanus extended her lead through the final sixteenth and crossed the wire in 1:16.58 on a WO main track listed as “Good”.  Jenga held the place, finishing a length and a quarter behind the winner and a length in front of Wicked Rule.  Belmont Strong was a neck back in fourth as Last Lady, Zero Twist, Free Farley Party, and No Pain completed the order of finish; Story To Tell was scratched prior to post time.

With earnings of $198.000, Oceanus now sports a 4-3-0-0 record and looks to have a bright future.  Congratulations to her and Wood Duck Stables on their G3 Hendrie Stakes victory!

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES