Ten top-notch turf fillies and mares will clash Sunday, October 17, 2021, for the Grade 1 E. P. Taylor Stakes. They run a mile and a quarter over Woodbine Racetrack’s outer turf, for a lucrative $600,000 purse. It is one of the most important races of the Canadian horse racing year.
The race is named after Canadian business tycoon Edward Plunket Taylor, who established Windfields Farm in Ontario. He went on to breed many good horses, the best of whom was super-sire Northern Dancer. The outer turf course at Woodbine, on which this race is run, also bears Taylor’s name.
2021 E. P. Taylor Field
These are the official entrants for the 2021 E. P. Taylor Stakes, along with their post positions, trainers, and jockeys:
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Waliyak (Roger Varian/Jack Mitchell)
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Etoile (Chad Brown/Irad Ortiz, Jr.)
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Court Return (Josie Carroll/Luis Contreras)
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Kalifornia Queen (Chad Brown/Flavien Prat)
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Family Way (Brendan Walsh/Kazushi Kimura)
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Mutamakina (Christophe Clement/Dylan Davis)
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Merveilleux (Kevin Attard/Antonio Gallardo)
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Great Island (Chad Brown/Rafael Hernandez)
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Keyflower (Mauricio Sanchez/Eddy Hardouin)
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La Dragontea (Christophe Clement/Joel Rosario)
As the race draws closer, top sportsbooks will begin to publish odds on the E. P. Taylor. You can get the best odds on the E. P. Taylor by checking the odds as the race gets closer, and place your wagers when you are getting an overlay on the horse you think will win. Unlike betting at the track, online sportsbooks let you lock in odds before the race, meaning you are guaranteed the best odds.
Betting the E. P. Taylor Stakes Online
If you cannot make it to Woodbine to play the E. P. Taylor Stakes in person, you can still have the best experience by betting the race online. Make an account at a trusted online sportsbook, and then you can wager from the comfort and safety of your own home, with confidence that you are getting the best odds.
Choosing a trusted sportsbook can be tough since there are so many out there. But, we make it easier. Our sportsbook reviews have trusted, detailed information about the features available at each sportsbook. You can choose the ones that give you the best odds and incentives for the bets you like to make and be confident that everyone offers trusted deposits and cash-out.
Selecting the right sportsbook is the best way to ensure an enjoyable and profitable experience betting the E. P. Taylor Stakes!
E. P. Taylor Contenders
Trainer Christophe Clement sends in a pair of live local-prep winners.
The most interesting of the pair is La Dragontea, winner of the Canadian Stakes (G2). She should get a forward trip in a race without a lot of paces and should appreciate the stretch back out to a mile and a quarter. She also has good form over rain-affected turf, including a win two starts ago over yielding going at Saratoga.
Clement’s other, Mutamakina, won the Dance Smartly (G2) over course and distance after getting the jump on Etoile. She has the tactical speed to either set the pace or stalk just off it, giving her a good chance at a good trip under jockey Dylan Davis. Her biggest question is the footing, as she is hit-or-miss over the rain-softened ground.
As so often happens in North American turf races, trainer Chad Brown has three entrants in the E. P. Taylor, all of whom fit rather well.
The most interesting is Great Island. She comes in from a credible second in the Flower Bowl behind current American turf mare divisional leader War Like Goddess. She is unlikely to run into a horse that good here. She has tactical versatility and is an excellent local rider for this race, Rafael Hernandez. Her biggest question is wet turf, something she has not yet had to handle.
Etoile won this race last year for Brown. She was narrowly defeated in the Dance Smartly this year, though that is not a deal-breaker in itself since she was also defeated in the local prep last year. However, she is a closer who will probably not get a very sharp pace to close into, and she tends to come up less than her best over wet turf.
The other entrant from the Brown barn is Kalifornia Queen. She has some rapport with Flavien Prat and has a mile and quarter stamina, but since moving to America she has been an underneath type at best against horses of this quality. Furthermore, she is at her best under the firmer ground than she is likely to get in this.
Roger Varian is shrewd with his overseas shippers, and Waliyak seems no exception. She finished second in a key race two starts back, the Atalanta (G3) at Sandown, and followed that up with a G3 score at Chantilly. Jack Mitchell hops on the plane to ride her again, and though she usually rallies from well off the pace, she sat closer when winning three back at Haydock and she has strong form over soft going.
Ontario-based Court Return and Merveilleux, Kentucky-based Family Way, and the French Keyflower round out the group. Among these four likely longshots, Keyflower intrigues most. Though her last win came over the good ground, she has enough recent form over soft and heavy going to give her a shot to run on for a share against horses less accustomed to such ground.
E. P. Taylor Best Bets
Here are your best bets for the 2021 E. P. Taylor Stakes!
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$10 to win - #10 La Dragontea
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$5 exacta box - #10 La Dragontea, #8 Great Island, #1 Waliyak
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$1 trifecta box - #10 La Dragontea, #8 Great Island, #1 Waliyak, #6 Mutamakina
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$0.20 superfecta box - #10 La Dragontea, #8 Great Island, #1 Waliyak, #6 Mutamakina, #9 Keyflower
