After 1 1/2 miles of the Grade 3 Valedictory Stakes at Woodbine on December 4, multiple graded stakes winner WHO’S THE STAR (Tonalist – Shine Forth by Carson City) and former claiming horse WENTRU (Tourist – Wicked by Tapit), at 42-to-1, landed in a dead heat for the win. It was the second time that jockeys Emma-Jayne Wilson (aboard Who’s the Star) and Rafael Hernandez dead-heated in a stakes race this year as the pair tied in the Grade 2 Nassau Stakes in July.
The Valedictory, customarily the closing day feature of the Woodbine racing season, was held a week before the final day of the 2022 season. The race for 3-year-olds and upward on the Tapeta surface had a large field of 12 with Who’s the Star, owned by Mickey Gonzalez’ M Racing Group, the favourite at 9-to-5. The improved gelding, trained by Mark Casse, was unbeaten in his four races at Woodbine since coming in from the United States, including wins in the Grade 2 Autumn Stakes and Grade 3 Durham Cup.
Breaking from post 12, Who’s the Star settled well off the early pace under jockey Wilson while TEC Stables’ Wentru was eager on the pace under Hernandez, who has never ridden the dark bay 4-year-old. Wentru, riding a three-race winning streak that began with a score against non-winners of 3 lifetime for $25,000 claiming, had just won a 1 3/8 mile turf race on the pace (an optional claiming race) and was tugging Hernandez on the lead early in the Valedictory.
In fact, Wentru skipped away to a clear lead around the final turn of the Valedictory and looked to have the race wrapped up in deep stretch before Who’s the Star and English Conqueror ran as a team at the front runner. Who’s the Star had the best momentum and charged at the leader the wire, appearing to come up just short of the Martin Drexler-trained Wentru. But after a lengthy study of the photo, it was deemed that Who’s the Star and Wentru had tied at the wire.
“To be honest, I thought there was going to be more speed,” said Wilson, who set a record for most wins in the Valedictory at five. ” I never got over to the rail and at the half-mile pole, 3 1/2 marker I needed to get going. There were a lot of horses in the way but he’s got the wicked kick so I swung him to the outside and got him going as fast as I could.”
Who’s the Star likely wrapped up Champion Older Male in Canada for 2022 with the dead-heat victory.
“This is what we are here for, to get on fast horses and he’s a fast horse,” said Wilson. “He has been fun to partner with this year and he deserves the congratulations for the year-end award.”
Who’s the Star now has a record of 7-1-2 from 17 races and with his $60,000 share of the course, has earnings of $391,431.
Hernandez said Wentru was a little eager and that he wanted his mount to relax a bit more. “He got the jump on everybody and he ran unbelievable.”
Wentru, who joined Drexler’s barn in May, now has 6 wins in 19 races and earnings of about $180,000 for owner Elliot Logan.
It was quite a day for Drexler, who had four wins, as well as one of his main riders, Sahin Civaci, who also bagged four scores. Drexler won 6 races in the most recent week.
Drexler, with a career high 81 wins on the year throughout North America, has 68 wins at Woodbine, also a career-high, heading into the last four days of the season, That places him third behind Casse and Kevin Attard
Civaci, one of the ‘rising star’ stories of 2022, won three for Drexler and added a fourth for Ravendra Raghunath, the second day in a week he has won that many races on a card.
Civaci moved into 6th on the leading riders’ list at Woodbine with 59 wins, a career-best since he moved to Ontario from Vancouver in 2019.
Wagering on the penultimate Sunday of the 2002 Woodbine meeting was a solid $6.1 million.
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