Woodford Racing LLC’s Season Ticket, confidently handled by Patrick Husbands, surged to the lead in mid-stretch and never looked back en route to an impressive score in Sunday’s $250,800 Wonder Where Stakes, third leg of the filly Triple Tiara, at Woodbine.
Trained by Mark Casse, the Lemon Drop Kid bay arrived at the grassy 1 1/4-mile Wonder Where, for three-year-old fillies foaled in Canada, from a narrow defeat in the Ontario Damsel Stakes on July 18 when travelling a mile on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.
The added quarter of a mile offered in the Wonder Where suited Season Ticket as Husbands saved all the ground from fifth position in the early running, while Pengally Bay set splits of :25.77, :50.44 and 1:14.95 under mild pressure from Ice Festival.
Brooklynsway, winner of the Bison City Stakes, second jewel of the Triple Tiara, stalked the pacesetters from fourth position down the back straight and was moved closer to contention through the sweeping final turn by rider Emma-Jayne Wilson.
Husbands, ever patient, stayed on the rail through the turn before angling outside of Brooklynsway for the stretch run, gathering momentum, and bursting clear of the field en route to an in-hand 1 1/2-length score. Ice Festival and Pengally Bay continued their own duel to the wire with only a head separating second from third. Season Ticket covered 1 1/14-miles over a firm turf course in 2:03.21.
The victory marked the third win on the card for the streaking Husbands who also captured three races on Saturday’s card.
“She’s a classy little filly and I was very high on her going into this race. Her last breeze was unbelievable,” said Husbands of the improving Season Ticket who was earning her second career win and first stakes score.
With the temporary rail set at 45 feet, Husbands was determined to stay in close range of the leading duo.
“The rails are pretty far out and there were some decent fillies in there I needed to keep my eyes on. I had a perfect trip,” said Husbands.
The talented bay, a $120,000 purchase at the 2013 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, finished a closing third in the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser, the first jewel of the filly Triple Tiara won by Academic in a track record time of 1:48.86 for 1 1/8-miles.
Season Ticket, bred in Ontario by Sean Fitzhenry, banked $150,000 in victory while improving her record to 2-2-1 from eight starts.
She paid $5.80, $3.40 and $2.60, combining with Ice Festival ($8.80, $5.70) for a $46.40 (4-5) exactor. A 4-5-6 triactor (Pengally Bay, $3.70 to show) was worth $231.10, while a $1 Superfecta [4-5-6-3 (Secret Action)] came back $1,830.25.
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