De la Renta (Oscar Performance), an impressive gate-to-wire maiden winner on the Tapeta surface July 19, switched to the turf Saturday and made her stakes debut a winning one in the Soaring Free Stakes at Woodbine.
Made the 9-5 favorite off that 3 1/4-length debut, the daughter of Oscar Performance was the slowest of the main field, trailed only by first-time starer Speaker's Speech (Speaker's Corner). Whipping-in that front five, De la Renta was patiently handled into the far turn but passed on the outside as Speaker's Speech got the first jump with a wide move at the top of the stretch.
Following that one's bid, the favorite was running out of time as she needed to tip outside but, despite racing a bit greenly close to home, was able to just push past that leader to steal the win by a head. Speaker's Speech lost little in defeat, having come from a well out of it last while stablemate Quipster (Practical Joke) was several lengths back in third.
The 23rd stakes winner for Oscar Performance, De la Renta was a $70,000 Keeneland September grad for Branch Enterprise and is the first and only foal out of the now-deceased Zza Zza Zoom.
BET365 SOARING FREE S., C$153,300, Woodbine, 8-15, 2yo, 6 1/2fT, 1:17.19, fm.
1–DE LA RENTA, 117, f, 2, by Oscar Performance
1st Dam: Zza Zza Zoom, by Uncle Mo
2nd Dam: Red Barchetta, by Seeking the Gold
3rd Dam: Indy Five Hundred, by A.P. Indy
($70,000 Ylg '25 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-X-Men
Racing VI, LLC and Madaket Stables, LLC; B-Nancy S. Dillman
(KY); T-Kevin Attard; J-Fraser Aebly. C$90,000. Lifetime
Record: 2-2-0-0, $96,677.
2–Speaker's Speech, 118, c, 2, Speaker's Corner–Danessa
Deluxe, by Summer Bird. ($875,000 2yo '26 OBSAPR).
1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Gold Standard Racing Stable LLC; B-Tommy
Wente Jr. & Scott Stephens (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. C$30,000.
3–Quipster, 120, c, 2, Practical Joke–Gamble's Candy,
by Twirling Candy. ($200,000 Ylg '25 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE.
O-Al and Bill Ulwelling; B-Tall Oaks Farm (ON); T-Kevin Attard.
C$19,800.
Margins: HD, 5 1/4, 1HF. Odds: 1.80, 10.30, 4.00.
Also Ran: Humble and Kind, Uncle Dodo, Through the Years (Ire). Scratched: Mrs D, Uncle Kef. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
battles to the wire to win the Soaring Free S. @WoodbineTB for trainer @kevin_attard with jockey Fraser Aebly aboard.#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/1a4crcecPc
— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) August 15, 2026
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