Dixie Law looks like the horse to beat in Selene Stakes

Dixie Law will face six rivals in Saturday’s $150,000 Selene Stakes at Woodbine, and the Grade 3 looks like the kind of race that can separate a promising filly from the one to beat in Canada. The Woodbine Oaks Presented by Stella Artois is next on the calendar for July 19, and the Selene gives Dixie Law a chance to prove that her gritty Ruling Angel victory was the start of something bigger.

The daughter of Tiz the Law out of Bit of Dixie already has the résumé to make that case. Dixie Law won the Ruling Angel Stakes in 1:22.58 in her first start of 2026, breaking evenly, sitting fifth early and then closing gamely to nail 10-1 pacesetter Meilani on the wire. Dale Desruisseaux has made toughness part of her calling card since she broke her maiden, and the filly backed that up last season by winning three of five starts as a 2-year-old, including the Mazarine Stakes and the Cup & Saucer Stakes, while finishing fourth in the Coronation Futurity.

That background matters because the Selene is not just another stake. It is a direct steppingstone to the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, which Woodbine says will open the Canadian Triple Tiara series for Canadian-foaled 3-year-old fillies. Dixie Law was also a finalist for the 2025 champion 2-year-old female Sovereign Award, a sign that her profile has already reached beyond a single flashy effort. If she delivers again, the summer conversation around this division will run through her.

Her recent works suggest she is being kept on a tight but sharp schedule rather than asked to do too much. Dixie Law drilled five furlongs in 59.20 seconds on June 7, then came back with another five-furlong move in 1:00.00 on June 17. That pattern fits a filly who has already shown she can finish, but still needs the right setup to show it. She does not usually overpower rivals early; she fights them down late, which means pace and positioning can matter in a field of six foes.

The Selene has long been a reliable marker for top fillies at Woodbine. Equibase lists the fastest modern running time since 1976 at 1:42.29, set by Grizzel (IRE) in 2017, and the largest winning margin at eight lengths, by Bear Now in 2007. The 2025 winner was Serendipity, with Josie Carroll training and Rafael Manuel Hernandez riding. Dixie Law does not need to win by a wide margin to matter. She only needs to show that the late drive that caught Meilani can hold up against a deeper test, because a Selene victory would put her squarely on the path to the Oaks and keep the rest of the Canadian 3-year-old filly season moving through Rexdale.