Graded stakes winner Dixie Law is set to face a new challenge in Saturday’s $175,000 Maple Leaf Stakes (G3) at Woodbine. This 1 ¼-mile race on the main track for fillies and mares aged three and older marks the bay filly’s first competition against more mature horses.
Trainer Dale Desruisseaux commented, “She’s doing really well. This will be a real test since it’s her first time racing against older mares. We’re moving beyond the 3-year-old division, but she’s coming into this in good shape.”
Dixie Law, a 3-year-old daughter of Tiz the Law out of Bit of Dixie (by Union Rags), enters her 11th consecutive stakes race and her fourth graded stakes start after finishing second in the Ontario Damsel on October 10, a 1 1/16-mile contest for 3-year-old fillies on the main track.
Desruisseaux praised her efforts, saying, “That was a strong performance. She can be a bit tricky to ride—if she takes the lead early, she tends to ease up. Jockey Pietro Moran later mentioned that in hindsight, he probably should have pushed her harder around the three-eighths pole and let others try to catch her. He expected the horse ahead to keep her moving, but the one behind got an early advantage, so Dixie Law fought back courageously.”
Since breaking her maiden in her debut last July, Dixie Law rapidly proved herself in stakes company, capturing the 2025 Cup and Saucer and the Grade 3 Mazarine Stakes—winning the latter by 1 ¼ lengths last November.
Bred and owned by Garland Williamson’s Hillsbrook Farms, she started her sophomore season with a win in the Ruling Angel on May 16 and later added the Wonder Where Stakes to her list of victories on September 6.
With a record of 2 wins, 2 seconds, and 1 third in six starts so far this year, Dixie Law has been a reliable competitor for her team. Desruisseaux reflected, “You always want to do better, of course. Her fourth-place finish in the King’s Plate was a bit perplexing, but overall she’s earned a lot and battled in every race. As a trainer and owner, you want more, but her season has been quite solid.”
The four-time stakes winner has amassed nearly $620,000 in career earnings over 11 starts, finishing in the money eight times (5-2-1). Desruisseaux notes that her steady rise is due to “natural ability,” adding, “From day one, she’s been a cut above everything else I’ve had in the barn—that shows up every time.”
Her groom is Kyle MacDonald. Recently, Dixie Law worked five furlongs in 1:00.60 on Woodbine’s main track on October 28. “She had a really good breeze,” said Desruisseaux. “Pietro was very pleased with her.”
Some fast facts: Conn Smythe, the longtime principal owner of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and builder of Maple Leaf Gardens, holds the record for most Maple Leaf Stakes wins by an owner with seven. The race dates back to 1892.
The betting options for the Maple Leaf Stakes include Rolling Double, Exacta, 0.20 Trifecta, 0.20 Superfecta, 0.20 Pick 3 (Races 7-8-9), 0.20 Pick 5 (Races 7-8-9-10-11), $1 Swinger, and $5 All Stakes Pick 3 (Races 7-9-10), with a 15 percent takeout rate.
The field for Saturday’s Grade 3 Maple Leaf Stakes includes:
- Fortyfiveseventy – Jockey: Daisuke Fukumoto – Trainer: Barb Minshall
- Sultana – Jockey: Rafael Hernandez – Trainer: Kevin Attard
- Scat Girl – Jockey: Rico Walcott – Trainer: Mike De Paulo
- Lupa – Jockey: Fraser Aebly – Trainer: Josie Carroll
- Dixie Law – Jockey: Pietro Moran – Trainer: Dale Desruisseaux
- Venencia – Jockey: Edgard Zayas – Trainer: Saffie Joseph, Jr.
- Hurricane Clair – Jockey: Eswan Flores – Trainer: Mike Wright, Jr.
(This report originally appeared in the News section of Paulick Report on November 4, 2026. Consider adding Paulick Report as a Preferred Source for more horse racing insights.)
Fan Take: Dixie Law’s step up to face older mares in the Maple Leaf Stakes will be an exciting test of her development and talent. Horse racing fans should watch closely, as her performance could signal the rise of a new star in Canadian racing and add thrilling competition at the graded stakes level.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
