TORONTO, September 12, 2024 – Mountain Breeze (IRE), racing for the top-class trio of owner and breeder Godolphin LLC, trainer Charles Appleby, and jockey William Buick, will look to secure her first stakes success in the Grade 1 Johnnie Walker Natalma, Saturday at Woodbine. 

The $500,000, one-mile turf race is a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, a Grade 1 race over the same distance which will be run at Del Mar on November 1.

Mountain Breeze, a 2-year-old daughter of Lope de Vega (IRE)-Lava Flow (IRE), is set to contest her first fixture outside of England, where she has raced on five occasions, four times at Newmarket, the other at Ascot.

The chestnut filly has been prepping at Saratoga ahead of her Natalma engagement.

“She has settled into her new training regime well and she has looked very comfortable in her track work,” said Appleby. “This will be the first time she has raced on a turn, but she has shown in her work at home that she handles it well.”

A half-sister to Appleby’s former standout champion colt Pinatubo, Mountain Breeze had a winning debut over five furlongs on Qipco 1000 Guineas day at Newmarket on May 5. That was followed by another triumph, 13 days later, when she won over six furlongs at Newmarket.

After a fourth in the Group 3 Albany Stakes on Jun 21 at Ascot, the chestnut recorded important Group 2 Black Type with a closing second in the Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket on July 12.

Mountain Breeze arrives at the Natalma off a runner-up effort in the Group 3 Sweet Solera, run at seven furlongs over the Newmarket turf, on August 10.

“She finishes her races well suggesting that the mile should be no problem for her,” said Appleby.

Sporting a record of 2-2-0 from five starts, Mountain Breeze will have the services of Buick, whose long list of Woodbine victories include back-to-back Woodbine Miles with a pair of Godolphin homebreds and Appleby trainees, in 2022 with Modern Games (IRE) and last year with Master of The Seas (IRE).

Other starters include eight Mark Casse trainees. The dual Hall of Famer sends out Nitrogen (supplemented), Winterberry, Ready to Battle, Will Reign, And One More Time, Latin Fever (IRE), Vixen, and Thread. Graded stakes placed Italian Soiree will leave from post two and stakes placed Ready for Candy from post eight.

Grade 1 Johnnie Walker Natalma – (Race 5)

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer 

1 – Annascaul – Frankie Dettori – Christopher Clement

2 – Italian Soiree – Umberto Rispoli – John Terranova II

3 – Nitrogen (S) – John Velazquez – Mark Casse

4 – Winterberry – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

5 – Ready to Battle – Kazushi Kimura – Mark Casse

6 – Will Reign – Kazushi Kimura – Mark Casse

7 – And One More Time – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse

8 – Ready for Candy – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Michael De Paulo

9 – Latin Fever (IRE) – Sofia Vives – Mark Casse

10 – Arctic Velocity – Kirk Johnson – Paul Lepiane

11 – Vixen – John Velazquez – Mark Casse

12 – Thread – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

13 – Mountain Breeze (IRE) – William Buick – Charles Appleby

Chris Lomon, Woodbine

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