(Photo above – OWLETTE wins her second straight stakes race at Woodbine in the Victorian Queen under Patrick Husbands – Michael Burns photo)
(with files from Woodbine media) – Patrick Husbands completed a sweep of Saturday’s stakes events at Woodbine taking the $100,000 Victorian Queen and matching Sweet Briar Too in front-end fashion.
Husbands continues to lead all jockeys for stakes wins at the current Woodbine meet with 15 added-money scores during his comeback campaign.
Owlette ran away with her second stakes title, winning Saturday’s co-featured Victorian Queen for Ontario-sired two-year-old fillies.
Shady Well Stakes champion Owlette fired to the lead from post two in her latest assignment and shrugged off the maiden filly Victorian Moon after a :22.24 opening quarter. Victorian Moon, seemingly acting as a rabbit for Wake Up Maggie, both trained by Harold Ladouceur, put on only mild pressure. Owlette opened up two lengths on top through a :45.51 half-mile clocking before Wake Up Maggie emerged between foes and tried to reel in the front-striding filly down the stretch, but chased in vain.
Sent postward as the even-money favourite, Owlette completed the six-furlong Tapeta test in 1:10.10 for trainer Wesley Ward and owner Ten Broeck Farm Inc., owned by David Mowat. She paid $4.10 to win and finished 2-1/2 lengths in front of Wake Up Maggie with She’s a Dream following in third.
Bred in Ontario by Michael C. Byrne, the daughter of first crop Ontario sire Frac Daddy out of the stakes-winning mare Itstartswithadream has now won three (consecutive) races at Woodbine after debuting as a runner-up at Keeneland.
She cost just $7,500 (US) at Keeneland September last fall and is the 12th foal to race of the mare.
Frac Daddy, by Scat Daddy, has 5 winners from 11 starters and leads all Canadian freshman sires with over $320,000 in progeny earnings.
Husbands claimed his second Sweet Briar Too title with another successful stakes outing on Saturday courtesy of Jean Elizabeth just two races later in the 6-1/2-furlong main track event for fillies and mares three years old and up.
Partnering with the Larry Rivelli trainee for the first time, Husbands guided Jean Elizabeth to a two-length triumph over favourites Sister Peacock and Special Relativity.
Hustling out from post nine, Jean Elizabeth crossed to command with local two-time stakes winner Sister Peacock and Jesse Campbell pressing the pace through a quarter in :22.70 and half-mile in :45.06.
“Both of them are classy fillies and both of them are speed horses so when the gates flew open, Jesse looked at me, I looked at Jesse and we just did what we had to do,” said Husbands.
Jean Elizabeth eventually drew clear in the stretch for the victory in 1:15.64 and returned $10 to win as the 4-1 third wagering choice.
The four-year-old Adios Charlie-Rooney Doodle filly, who had finished third by a neck in her first Woodbine appearance last October in the Ruling Angel Stakes, is now eight-for-14 in her career with more than $310,000 banked in purse earnings. Rivelli and Richard Ravin bred the winner and share ownership with Patricia’s Hope LLC.
Turf Endurance Series – Leg 3
Toronto Ont.September 21, 2019.Woodbine Racetrack. – Prideofdistinction Jockey Justin Stein.Woodbine/ michael burns photo
The $50,000 third leg of the Woodbine Turf Endurance Series was contested between the stakes, with series newcomer Prideofdistinction rallying past late leader Camp Creek in the stretch of the 1-5/8-mile marathon.
Justin Stein was aboard the five-year-old Milwaukee Brew-Twilight Gallop gelding, who was coming off a third-place finish in the 1-1/2-mile Halton Stakes on August 28, for trainer Ron Sadler and owners Linda J. Theil and Harri Hosein. The final time was 2:41.89 over firm turf.
Itstartswithadrink finished 1-1/4 lengths behind in second, but was disqualified and relegated to eighth place for causing interference in the stretch to Auntie Katherine after stewards reviewed a claim of foul that had been initiated against Zephan and pacesetter Awesome Halo.
Sine Metu and Camp Creek, winner of the 1-1/2-mile second leg of the series last month, were promoted to second and third, respectively.
The winner returned $9.40 to his backers at the betting windows.
The point-based bonus series will wrap up with the 1-3/4-mile finale on Saturday, Oct. 19. In addition to Camp Creek, the other series winner was Bold Rally.
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