Stroke of Genius seeks breakout in Woodbine's Alywow Stakes

Stroke of Genius will head into Woodbine’s $100,000 Alywow Stakes as the filly with the clearest chance to turn a listed sprint into something more. The 6 1/2-furlong race on the all-weather track will go as Race 9 at 5:22 p.m. ET on June 28, with 10 3-year-old fillies entered and 19 nominations plus two supplements backing up the level of interest.

The daughter of Munnings has made only four starts and earned $42,580, but her profile still leaves room for a bigger step. She is bred in Kentucky by Sean Fitzhenry and is out of the Galileo mare Magic Of Reality, a pedigree mix that gives her both speed and the kind of stamina that can matter when a sprint stretches to 6 1/2 furlongs. Owner Martin Wickins bought her for $80,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, after first trying to land her dam the year before and then following the family back to the next crop.

Her last start was June 6, when she returned from a winter break in a five-furlong allowance optional claiming race on the inner turf. Shelley Fitzgerald used that race as a tightener, not a target, before stretching her back out to a trip that looks more suitable. Fitzgerald has only two horses in training and also grooms Stroke of Genius herself, a small-barn setup that puts extra weight on getting the placement right. Eswan Flores will ride, and the official entry lists Stroke of Genius at 118 pounds.

The Alywow field gives her a real test. Mony Mony, So Kate, Wooten Warrior, Happy Destination, Slippers, Kingsolver, Meilani, Flowerhead and Angel’s Prospect fill out a competitive group, and the race fits into a Woodbine season that includes 39 graded stakes and five Grade 1 events. The meet’s marquee dates are the 167th King’s Plate on Aug. 15 and the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile on Sept. 12, a reminder that a sharp showing here can still matter in a crowded summer stakes picture.

The race carries history too. Alywow, for whom the stakes is named, was Canada’s Horse of the Year, champion grass horse and champion 3-year-old filly in 1994. The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame says she won seven of 19 starts, earned $648,431, and later produced stakes winners Century City and Hidden Cat. Woodbine’s recent benchmark is Love Cervere’s 2025 win in 1:15.46 on turf, while Lush Soldier took the inaugural running in 2002. If Stroke of Genius handles the Tapeta and the extra half-furlong, Fitzgerald will have a filly ready for a much deeper summer route.