Stonestreet Stables’ Hillaby made the grade with a powerful stretch-running victory in Sunday’s $232,000 Grade 2 Bessarabian Stakes, at Woodbine.
Trained by Mark Casse, the bay daughter of Distorted Humor, out of Canada’s 2007 Horse of the Year Sealy Hill, arrived at the seven furlong ‘Poly’ stake from a widening 4 3/4-length allowance score on October 19.
Sent to post as the 5-2 mutuel favourite in the Bessarabian, Patrick Husbands allowed Hillaby to stalk the early pace of Cryptic Message through splits of :22.76 and :45.19.
Cryptic Message, with Eurico Rosa da Silva up, attempted to sprint away from the field through the turn, but Husbands sent Hillaby with a menacing move to take command at the top of the lane and sprinted home a determined 2 3/4-length winner. Disco Barbie swept up for second money in front of the rallying Sky Treasure.
Hillaby, earning her first added-money score, stopped the clock in a swift 1:21.44.
“She left running, but I knew I couldn’t go with Eurico (da Silva, aboard Cryptic Message) so I tried to ease her back and get to the outside,” said Husbands. “Jesse (Campbell, aboard Native Bombshell) did what he had to do to keep me in…but when Jesse went ahead, I put her back on her right lead and she just took me around there.
Hillaby was making just her third start for Stonestreet Stables. The talented four-year-old bay won two of four starts for original owner Eugene Melnyk, all under the tutelage of Casse.
In July, Melnyk entered Hillaby into the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky summer selected horses of racing age sale, where she sold to Stonestreet Stables for $500,000.
In her first start for new connections, Hillaby finished sixth in the Avowal Stakes as the mutuel favourite. However, she bounced back with a rousing pacesetting performance last time out to set up her Bessarabian breakthrough.
Hillaby, bred in Ontario by Melnyk, banked $144,000 in victory while improving her record to 4-1-1 from seven starts.
She returned $7, $3.40 and $2.90, pairing with Disco Barbie ($4.10, $2.60) for a $26.70 (9-5) exactor. A 9-5-1 (Sky Treasure, $3.90 to show) triactor was worth $108.10, while a $1 Superfecta [9-5-1-3 (Silent Star)] came back $343.25. Pirate’s Trove was scratched.
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