Woodbine plays hosts to the final leg of the Canadian Triple Tiara on Sunday when seven sophomore fillies line up in the $225,000 Wonder Where Stakes going 1 1/4 miles over the turf course.
Enstone, Mythical Mission and Ghostly Presence all competed in the first two legs of the Triple Tiara – the nine-furlong Woodbine Oaks on June 11 and the Bison City Stakes sending runners 1 1/16 miles on July 9. Both of those contests came on Woodbine’s synthetic Tapeta, but the Wonder Where will test this group on the turf.
Enstone finished fourth in the Woodbine Oaks before going gate-to-wire in the Bison City last out for trainer Mark Casse. The Tiznow filly does have experience on the grass, just missing by a head at Saratoga last July before suffering a well-beaten last of 14 in the Natalma Stakes (Can-G1) on Woodbine’s turf.
The bay filly would go on to break her maiden by 7 1/4 lengths next out on the Tapeta and has stayed on the all-weather surface since. She wrapped up 2016 in the Princess Elizabeth Stakes, just caught on the wire to be a half-length second, and opened her three-year-old campaign with a 2 3/4-length score in the Fury Stakes sprinting seven furlongs.
Besides the Woodbine Oaks and Bison City, Enstone’s other start this year resulted in a runner-up effort in the Selene Stakes (Can-G3) under returning regular rider Patrick Husbands.
Mythical Mission has finished behind Enstone three times – running third in both the Princess Elizabeth and Fury, and then second last out as the 4-5 favorite in the Bison City.
The Malcolm Pierce-trained chestnut broke her maiden on Woodbine’s turf last September and then took an off-the-turf allowance on the Tapeta a month later. Those are Mythical Mission’s only wins to date, but the Giant’s Causeway filly has yet to finish worse than third in her four subsequent starts. Eurico Da Silva has been aboard for all of the Sam-Son Farm homebred’s six races and stays in the saddle Sunday.
Inflexibility began her career on the turf, running second over Gulfstream’s green before scoring on Belmont Park’s course by 1 1/2 lengths on May 17. Trainer Chad Brown immediately threw her to the wolves in the Woodbine Oaks and then again by sending her against the boys last out in the July 2 Queen’s Plate Stakes. The Scat Daddy filly finished third on both occasions to Holy Helena, who scored a length victory in the Woodbine Oaks and then romped by 3 1/2 lengths in the Queen’s Plate. Luis Contreras was aboard Holy Helena for those wins and takes the mount on Inflexibility in this spot.
Despite capturing the Princess Elizabeth Stakes, Ghostly Presence hasn’t done near as well in her four subsequent races. The Roger Attfield pupil was fourth in the Fury, ninth in the Selene, ninth again in the Woodbine Oaks and a well-beaten third in the Bison City. The Ghostzapper filly is going to have to improve by leaps and bounds if she wants to challenge either Enstone or Mythical Mission here. Rafael Hernandez has the return call.
Ellan Vannin and Financial Recovery both raced in the Woodbine Oaks, finishing sixth and seventh, respectively, then showed up for the July 1 Ontario Damsel Stakes on the turf. Financial Recovery rallied to win that one-mile affair on the good grass while Ellan Vannin came in a one-paced fourth. David Moran will be aboard Financial Recovery while Jerome Lermyte rides Ellan Vannin on Sunday.
Stakes runner-up Crumlin Queen completes the Wonder Where field.
Two races before, 10 distaffers have been entered to go 1 1/16 miles on the turf in the $125,000 Victoriana Stakes.
