Sister Peacock and jockey Jesse Campbell led gate-to-wire in Sunday’s $100,000 Star Shoot Stakes for three-year-old fillies at Woodbine Racetrack.
Owned by Brent & Russell McLellan and trainer Stuart Simon, the Kentucky-bred daughter of Real Solution was a 1-1/4 length winner in the six-furlong feature.
Sister Peacock set fractions of :22.97 and :45.99 then kept her closest pursuer, Missmizz, at bay en route to victory in 1:09.53. Power Gal finished third off a ground-saving trip and Intanga Rose was fourth, edging out Si Si Tequila, who challenged three-wide turning for home before drifting out in the stretch.
Speedy Soul, My Gal Betty, Kettle Valley and Special for You completed the order of finish. Malibu Dawn was scratched.
“Hats off to this athlete. Stuart did a great job getting her ready. Thanks to the connections,” said an emotional Campbell, joined by his five-year-old daughter and family at the races for the Easter weekend.
“Stuart’s a great horse trainer and they took her down south and she’s developed,” said Campbell, who was aboard for the filly’s first two career wins at Woodbine last year. “He phoned me last week when she worked and he said she worked good. I said, ‘No Stuart, she didn’t work good, she worked real good.’ She was well prepared. She got a little warm in post, but she was a professional when she saw the gate. She stood very quiet — she was standing really well – so I didn’t move her and she left there and it was on. She’s a very smart and talented filly, and Stuart and the crew do a great job. I’m just blessed.”
After opening her sophomore campaign with a pair of runner-up efforts in a pair of one-mile turf stakes at Gulfstream Park over the winter, Sister Peacock was back to her winning ways over Woodbine’s Tapeta surface.
“I think she’ll get a mile fine,” noted Simon. “She may like getting a mile around one turn a little better, but she kind of breaks fast and then she kind of almost rates herself – she does drop off the bit – so I think getting longer won’t be a big problem. But she’s fast so it’s hard to not run her where the fast races are too.”
Sent postward as the 9-5 favourite, Sister Peacock paid $5.70 to win.
Live Thoroughbred racing continues next Friday, April 26, with first race post time set for 1 p.m.
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