Trainer Ashlee Brnjas, who was at her wedding reception, watched her 70-1 Reconnect rally in deep stretch to take Saturday’s $126,600 La Prevoyante Stakes, an Ontario Sires event for three-year-old fillies, at Woodbine.
With Omar Moreno at the controls, Reconnect, in her first grass test, flew down the outside of the E.P. Taylor Turf Course in the one mile feature to best a game Bubbles to the Top for her first added-money score in her first stakes appearance.
After Isabella Bay led the 12-horse field through a quarter-mile in :23.73 and a half in :47.26 over a ‘firm’ turf, the daughter of 2004 Queen’s Plate champion Niigon, sitting eleventh, appeared to have her work cut out as the field straightened away for the lengthy stretch drive.
But Reconnect, under a drive, posted a neck score, getting the mile in 1:37.69. Bubbles to the Top was second, while L’Avenue was third.
It was yet another major upset engineered by Moreno, who had guided 74-1 Bug’s Boy to victory in Holiday Monday’s Halton Stakes.
“My horse was sitting very comfortably back there,” said Moreno, of the dark bay, who came into the La Prevoyante off a fifth-place finish in a 1 1/16-mile Polytrack race at Woodbine on August 13. “Those were my instructions, to take her back, but not give her too much to do at the end. She was very relaxed and when I pulled the trigger, she really kicked in for me.”
Owned by Colebrook Farms, Reconnect recorded her second win from six starts, accompanied by five top-three finishes.
Reconnect paid $142.90, $54.50 and $27.40, combining with Bubbles to the Top ($5.60, $5.60) for a $1,337.70 exactor. L’Avenue ($11.90) completed a $13,861.30 triactor.
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