One of three graded stakes races on July 25 at Woodbine, the TRILLIUM at 1 1/8 miles on Tapeta, attracted a trio of shippers who figured to dominate the $175,000 race for fillies and mares, three-year-olds and upward. Certainly RASHMI, owned and bred by George Strawbridge, was one of the choices since she was recently second in a Grade 1, the Gamely, at Santa Anita. The Trillium was her Tapeta surface debut. GOLDEN SUNSHINE, a Godolphin filly with three wins and a stakes placing, was made the favourite, while Carl Moore Management LLC’s FANTASTICAL, trained by Joe Sharp, floated up to 4-to-1 despite her improving recent form.
Mark Dodson’s Lupa (Ire) was eager to go to the lead and had it to herself when Ontario-sired Hurricane Clair hesitated at the start. Lupa was under a tight hold by Fraser Aebly and really wanting to go, but she was made to go slowly – 24.29, 49.57 and 1:13.69. Lupa was still hanging tough when Rashmi came calling into the stretch and behind her Fantastical and 63-to-1 longshot Fortyfiveseventy were also gaining.
Fantastical, with reigning champion jockey Rafael Hernandez riding, had enough momentum to win by a head, stealing the race from a game Lupa, a daughter of top sire Lope de Vega (Ire). Fortyfiveseventy, owned and trained by Barb Minshall, was a head back in third, with Golden Sunshine along for fourth. The time of 1:51.15 was good for an 87 Beyer Speed Figure.
Fantastical, purchased by Moore, who is from Texas, for $75,000 from the 2022 Keeneland September yearling sale, had been a $17,000 weanling purchase by Cedar Rock Ranch from breeders Paul Schwartz and and J. Reily McDonald. It took the chestnut mare by Air Force Won – Wangari by Giant’s Causeway to get rolling in her career – she won her maiden at Turfway on the Tapeta in her fifth start. She pecked away at the allowance/optional class through last summer and this winter before suddenly putting up a pair of 90+ Beyer Figures in turf races at Churchill Downs and in Woodbine’s Grade 3 Royal North Stakes. The Trillium is the sixth win for Fantastical and fifth on Tapeta.
The five-year-old mare has an impeccable pedigree with lots of Irish turf influence. Her fourth dam, Balidaress (Ire) produced four Irish Champions: Alydaress, Nashamaa, Park Appeal and Desirable. Another daughter, Balistroika, is the dam of RUSSIAN RHYTHM, the Champion three-year-old filly in England in 2003 and winner of the 1000 Guineas, Nassau and Coronation Stakes, all Group 1s. A full sister (by Kingmambo) to Russian Rhythm, Russian Empress, is the second dam of Fantastical. She had just two foals including unraced Wangari, the dam of the Trillium winner.
Wangari has had one other winning foal, the stakes-placed Portilla, from four starters. The mare has a yearling by Upstart and a weanling by Maxfield.
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