TORONTO -- Lexie Lou will get a shot at winning Canadas most prestigious horse race. Lexie Lou earned a commanding 4 1/2-length win Sunday in the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks. In fact, Lexie Lous winning time of 1:49.77 was better than the 1:50.78 posted by Queens Plate favourite We Miss Artie in the $150,000 Plate Trial Stakes earlier. That left Lexi Lous handlers with the question whether to run her against the boys in the Queens Plate on July 6 or chase the remaining two legs of the Triple Tiara for Canadian-bred three-year-old fillies. Conditioner Mark Casse missed Sundays race while attending a horse sale in Florida. But the six-time winner of Canadas top trainer award said he spoke with owner Gary Barber and the decision was made to point the filly towards the Plate. "As long as shes healthy and happy that will be her next stop," Casse said in a telephone interview Sunday evening. Assistant trainer Kathyrn Sullivan represented Casse at Sundays race, however she was unable to call him afterwards with the good news. Thats because Sullivan lost both of her cellphones in the walking race prior to the race. "I havent talked to Kathryn yet," Casse said with a chuckle. "She did text me saying she was a nervous wreck. "But were fortunate to have a lot of great people working with us and I know she did a terrific job." Jockey Patrick Husbands had Lexie Lou, the 2/1 second choice, sitting second behind stablemate Wild Catomine for much of the race before surging into the lead and cruising for her fourth victory in 11 career starts. The $300,000 winners share boosted her lifetime earnings over $630,000. Wild Catomine, also trained by Casse, was second in the nine-horse field, with Llanarmon taking third. Paladin Bay, the 2/1 favourite, was fourth. "We took a good run at her, like we always do, but Lexie Lou found another gear out there, she just took off again," said Gerry Olguin, the jockey aboard Paladin Bay. "I thought I was going to be second . . . she got tired at the end." Sundays race was just Lexie Lous second since being purchased by Barber and first without blinkers. Husbands rode Lexie Lou to a third-place finish in the $150,000 Fury Stakes event May 10 and felt blinkers werent necessary. "The last time she never relaxed," Husbands said. "We worked her twice since the last race without blinkers, no problem. "In the post parade, she was relaxed." Only five Oaks winners have gone on to win the Queens Plate, the first jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown and this countrys most prestigious horse race. The last was Inglorious in 2011. Sullivan said while Lexie Lou would give away size to the colts in the Plate, shed have the speed needed to compete. "Shes light and just floats on the track and theres definitely advantages to that," she said. "I think youd find some people would say thats the kind of horse youd want and youd find as many other people saying the other (bigger is better). "Shes put on a little weight and sort of filled out a little bit in the last month. Shes just got that big, long, beautiful stride." And theres the matter of Lexie Lou posting a faster time than We Miss Artie did in the Plate Trial, both races covering 1 1/8 miles. "Yeah, I know," Sullivan said with a smile. "Thats also a debate that will rage on." We Miss Artie was the overwhelming 1/5 favourite in the Plate Trial, and with good reason. The Todd Pletcher-trained bay colt was the Queens Plate Winterbook favourite this winter and finished 10th in the Kentucky Derby on May 3. Sundays race was not only We Miss Arties first since the Derby but first-ever at Woodbine. He found himself sitting third, boxed in along the rail at one point but jockey Javier Castellano patiently waited for an opening and when it appeared, he had more than enough horse to respond. "I think I rode the best horse in the race, I think I rode with a lot of patience," Castellano said. "I let him settle . . . when we turned for home we asked (for) a little bit and he give me a good kick." Assistant trainer Ginny DePasquale admitted being concerned about We Miss Arties dire standing late in the race. "There for a moment you get a little nervous but we knew he would come through in the end," she said. "Hes got a big heart and found an opening and went on. "Javier just kind of saved him at the wire a little bit." Sullivan was impressed with We Miss Arties late kick. "Hes a much nicer horse than he is on paper, weve always thought that," she said. "You could see at the top of the turn as soon as he got some room he was full of horse, full of run. 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Kirk Hinrich scored 19 points for Chicago, going 5 for 6 on 3-pointers, Carlos Boozer added 18 points, D.SAO PAULO - The NBA has reached a commercial partnership with Brazils top basketball league, taking over its marketing, advertising and licensing deals.The deal announced Thursday is expected to give a huge boost to the sport in Brazil and should help the NBA continue expanding its presence in the South American nation of more than 200 million people.The NBA and Brazils National Basketball League said the partnership has the long-term goal of increasing the popularity of basketball in Brazil.They said the leagues will work together — with the support of the Brazilian basketball confederation — to attract more fans and bring in new business ... through marketing strategies that will focus on enriching the product of basketball.Brazilian basketball officials said the partnership is the first of its kind for a sports league in Brazil.The partnership can expand in the upcoming years to include new areas such as basketball operations and player development, the local league said in a statement.Financial details of the deal were not immediately disclosed. The length of the contract also wasnt available, although both sides said it was a long-term agreement.Basketball is very popular in Brazil and one of the fastest-growing sports in the country, said Arnon de Mello, the NBAs managing director in Brazil.ddddddddddddThe NBA is very happy with this partnership. It allows us to dream bigger. We will help with the growth and the development of the sport.A few NBA executives were in Sao Paulo for the official announcement, which comes two months after the league was in Rio to host a high-profile preseason game between the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers of LeBron James. It was the second year in a row that the NBA was in the country. The Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards played in the first-ever NBA game in Brazil in 2013.The NBA has a significant number of fans in Brazil, to the point that its common for local tourism agencies to offer travel packages that include tickets for games in cities such as Orlando, Miami and New York. There are seven Brazilian players in the NBA this season, the most ever.The leagues increased presence in Brazil could help basketball stop losing ground to volleyball as the countrys most popular sport behind soccer. Auto racing and mixed martial arts are also popular sports in Brazil.___Follow Tales Azzoni at http://www.twitter.com/tazzoni ' ' '