Mythical Mission well prepared for Princess Elizabeth assignment

TORONTO, November 9 – Sam-Son Farm homebred Mythical Mission will make her stakes debut in Saturday’s $250,000 Princess Elizabeth Stakes, at Woodbine.

Sam-Son Farm boasts a record six wins in the Princess Elizabeth and Mythical Mission will look to join a talented list of fillies that includes Catch the Thrill (2006), Dancethruthedawn (2000), Wilderness Song (1990), Ruling Angel (1986), In My Cap (1984) and Loudrangle (1976).

Trained by Malcolm Pierce, the well-bred Mythical Mission is by Giant Causeway, out of stakes winner Misty Mission, and is a full sister to multiple graded stakes winner Irish Mission who was named Canada’s champion grass mare and three-year-old filly in 2012.

Mythical Mission enters Saturday’s 1 1/16-mile Tapeta route with a perfect record from two starts. Pierce thought so highly of Mythical Mission that he was prepared to debut her in the Shady Well Stakes on August 13, but decided to scratch when inclement weather softened the turf.

"It was a very soft turf the first time I had her entered in the stake. There was a lot of rain and we thought a lot of the filly and we just didn’t want to take a chance and she was scratched that day to wait for a better time," recalled Pierce.

The attractive chestnut made her long awaited debut on September 23, with leading rider Eurico Rosa da Silva in the irons, and graduated in dramatic fashion rallying down the centre of the course from ninth to first to win by a head over next-out winner Kodiac Gal.

"She was impressive. Eurico made it a little tighter than I would have liked," laughed Pierce. "I’d like to have seen her win a little easier as the margin wasn’t that much, but she did it easy enough. She showed us that the respect we had for her was warranted."

Mythical Mission earned a 67 Beyer Speed Figure for her turf debut. She returned on October 21 in an off-the-turf allowance route and da Silva again found a patient approach, settling behind rivals before charging home a comfortable 3/4-length winner.

"We thought she handled the Tapeta quite well and had worked a couple times over it which made the decision to leave her in the race a lot easier," said Pierce. "That race also made it a lost easier for us to come back in the Princess Elizabeth.

"I think she’s a little better on the grass and turf racing is a little easier on horses,” continued Pierce. “But if we can go three for three and put her away for a winter break it would give us some hope to go on to races like the Oaks next year.”

On November 4, Mythical Mission breezed four furlongs in :48.20 over the Woodbine main in her final prep for the prestigious Princess Elizabeth.

"She had a nice work, it was well in hand. We didn’t have to do much as we’re coming back in three weeks with a dead fit horse," said Pierce.

With the Woodbine meet rapidly closing in on its December 4 conclusion, Pierce is already planning ahead for a warmer winter.

"We took 10 stalls at Tampa Bay Downs this winter. They have a really nice turf course and they say their dirt course is really good to train over, it’s a deep sandy course," said Pierce. "It’s only an hour and a half from the Sam-Son farm in Ocala, so we’ll give it a try."

And perhaps that will give Pierce a chance to ready Mythical Mission for her run at the Woodbine Oaks.

"Maybe we can get a race under her in March and then stop in Keeneland on the way home as there’ll be nothing going long at Woodbine," said Pierce. "But, in this business, you always have to take it one race at a time."

A talented field of 11 for the Princess Elizabeth includes Muskoka Stakes champ Spring Tempest; South Ocean Stakes winner Cindervella; and the well-regarded Enstone who earned a field-best 79 Beyer number while graduating at a 1 1/16-miles on the Woodbine Tapeta last time out.

The Princes Elizabeth is slated as Race 8 on Saturday’s 10-race card. First post time is 1 p.m. Fans can watch and wager on all the action via HPIBet.com.

1 / Erin Commodity / Alan Garcia / Rachel Halden
2 / Lemon Zip / Gary Boulanger / Stuart Simon
3 / Crumlin Queen / David Moran / Michael Doyle
4 / Evil Woman / Jesse Campbell / Nick Gonzalez
5 / Mythical Mission / Eurico Rosa da Silva / Malcolm Pierce
6 / Spring Tempest / Emma-Jayne Wilson / Steve Owens
7 / Missy Crissy / Jermaine Bridgmohan / Mark Casse
8 / Cindervella / Luis Contreras / Mike DePaulo
9 / Enstone / Patrick Husbands / Mark Casse
10/ Ghostly Presence / Gary Boulanger / Roger Attfield
11/ China Rider / Rajiv Maragh / David Cannizzo