Royal North Stakes – GIII
$150.00 For Fillies And Mares Four Years Old And Upward
7 1/2 Furlongs – Turf
Woodbine Racetrack – June 27, 2026

Fun Dip, eh? Yep. That was the answer yet again as to who won the Royal North Stakes. Three years in a row. She wins the Royal North on Canadian grass like she is Navratilova on Center Court at Wimbledon. To win a graded stakes two years in a row is a mark of class and consistency but holding form over three seasons to win the same graded event is unheard of. I don’t know of other examples. They added another furlong to the race this year and it didn’t matter to Fun Dip at all. The extra distance just allowed her to extend her lead with each stride to the wire. For some reason the now six year old mare becomes a beast when she crosses the border to our north. 

Winner: Fun Dip (Jokerjoes/S. Chemetz) Roger Rabbit/Fun Run (Full Of Run) If it isn’t broke don’t fix it and that goes for how Fun Dip wins the Royal North. Strategy? Rinse, wash, repeat. Stalk and pounce. She sat a length off of the lead early and then found a spot along the rail as the leaders began to tire in the stretch and she drew off to a very easy looking two length win. The first year she won was by a nose, the second by a length and she won this longer edition by two widening lengths. She has two triple digit speed figures on her resume, and they were the two previous runnings of the Royal North. The SRF figure for 2026 is not in yet but a triple digit threepeat would be fitting. 

Second: Grand Design (Bigchief Stables/W.T. Buick) Inconceivable/Broomstick Mixed (El Gran Broomstick) Speedy filly was looking for her second straight stakes win and went right to the lead and set the pace while being challenged by Memphis Reins. Led every step of the way but could not hold off the winner. Very good effort and graded stakes debut. 

Third: Memphis Reins (Williams9/P. Moran) Grande Cherokee/Scared Rat (El Gran La Maison) Broke well and sat at the hip of Grand Design while Fun Dip stalked the pair. Continued willingly through the stretch and could not quite catch Grand Design for second place but was game enough to hold off the late closing Fairy Godmother. Seems to have found a liking for the grass placing in her first graded turf start.

Fourth: Fairy Godmother (Greyhound/E.J. Wilson) The Godfather/House Player (Ginger Haggis) Loped along well back early and displayed her usual lack of interest. Responded well when asked to rally in the stretch but did not have enough distance left to take one of the top three placings but did grab the fourth place check. Ran a much better race than the 40-1 odds she was let go at. One to watch especially at longer distances.

Preview Pick: Fun Dip – winner. It was the Royal North. No crystal ball needed for this one, but I’ll still take the win.

Fun Dip has now won four stake races with last year’s Autumn Days nestled in amongst her Royal North Stakes wins. This was the third win in this race for the Jokerjoes barn, but it was the first time that jockey S.Chemetz has tasted victory in the Royal North. Fun Dip now boasts career earnings of $864.11 and seems to be getting better with age. The six-year-old mare is now on a three-race win streak for the first time in her career.

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES