Wonder Where Stakes- $250.000 Purse
WO- For Fillies Three Years Old Foaled in Canada
One Mile and One Quarter on the Turf
August 7, 2016
There’s no need to wonder where there will be exciting action for Canadian fillies on Sunday. WO will host the ninth running of the Wonder Where Stakes, which is a ten furlong event for three year old fillies that call Canada home. The last two years, we have seen a filly from Mb Stables come away with the win, but that’s one thing that we know will not happen this year as that trainer does not have a runner. Canadian Racing is the only other trainer to win this race more then once, doing so in 2011 with Big Shoes To Fill, and in 2013 with Rock Warrior. He’ll have a chance at his third winner this year with Ena Barb. Rock Warrior also holds the distinction of being the most prolific past winner of the race, and she’s still winning graded stakes in 2016, though is no longer part of the Canadian Racing stable. No jockey has multiple wins in the Wonder Where. Our field of seven this year does not have that one big standout, at least not as of yet, but there is plenty of quality here. Let’s meet the field.
#1- Exclusive Ballerina (Drabfantasy, ridden by R Bejarano)- The Exclusive Notice filly has won four of her eleven career starts, including a win an ON-bred stake, the Eternal Search right here at WO. If it seems like we just ran that race, well we did. Exclusive Ballerina will have just eleven days of rest for this. That worked last time for her, because that was only eleven days after her race before that. So, if you’re keeping score, this ballerina will have her third dance in 22 days. Eventually, that’s going to catch up to her. The highlight of her career was a win in the SUN Oaks, a race that earned her a berth in the KYO, where she would be a non-factor.
#2- Sandbar (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by R Alvarado Jr)- If the past performances don’t immediately jump out at you as to why Sandbar is a filly with potential, simply look at her pedigree. Not just Charley Farley, but her dam, Beautiful Era. These two have hooked up for two superstars of the game, Hydro and Unsecured. A couple others aren’t at that level, but have had decent careers themselves. Enter Sandman, er, Sandbar. So far, she only has one win in her six career starts, but is coming off two strong starts in ON-bred starts. She wants more distance, and if you think Exclusive Ballerina is on short rest, Sandbar raced last week! That is a lot to ask, but its been overcome in the past. She’ll do some great things in her career, just not sure if this is too soon. I may have put her on top if not for the short rest.
#3- Happy Clapper (Australia Wide, ridden by D Moran)- The Quench filly has been almost perfect throughout her career. After finishing second in her debut race, all Happy Clapper has known how to do is win and she comes into this race having won five in a row. Her last two races saw her run in stakes, at the ON-bred level, and she would be victorious in the $150.000 Fury Stakes and the $125.000. In these wins, she has defeated a few that she sees here again including Sandbar, Head In The Noose, and Plucky Elmo. On Sunday, Happy Clapper will attempt a distance she has never come close to trying before, as seven furlongs has been her max. Work times don’t really show a reason to be too concerned about that, but it definitely needs to be a consideration at the betting window.
#4- Head In The Noose (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by F Pennington)- The Charley Farley filly has won just one of her seven career starts while having been a mainstay on the ON-bred circuit. This is, however, a completely different race then she has ever seen before. Head In The Noose has made her career sprinting, on dirt. She has never been on the grass, and she has never gone longer then seven furlongs. In those sprints, she has mainly been a frontrunner. Thanks to a good looking work here on Monday, it really does look as though she is ready to roll here. Tough to predict how she may do, though.
#5- Triptych (John Henry, ridden by R J Albarado)- John Henry picked up this filly from Blushing Meadows in private sales for $90.000 about a week and a half ago as he continues to aggressively build his stable. So far, Triptych has managed just won win in her five career starts, coming at TP in January. After a few months of a layoff, Blushing Meadows put her on the grass going long, and he got some good results, and a near ungraded stake victory in the $65.000 Keertana at CD, a race that is a quarter mile longer then this. That should bode well, as after all, a few of her chief rivals here are not as versed in going this distance. Triptych also likes to come from off the pace, and this race may set up ideally for her.
#6- Plucky Elmo (Hawaiian Shirt Guy, ridden by R M Hernandez)- This Plucky Mach filly has a lot in common with Head In The Noose in that she has never raced on the grass, and she has never gone this distance before Hawaiian Shirt Guy recently re-acquired the horse that he bred and once sold to Heavens Own for $425.000 in October 2015. Now, nine months later, she is back with her breeder, following a $240.000 private sales transaction. She started hot as a two year old, finishing second in the DMR Debutante, a finish that was able to get her into the BC Juvenile Fillies. She was a decent fifth there, but we’ve never really heard much from her since then. Plucky Elmo has been prepared well for this, and worked nicely here last week. In the past, she has shown the potential, and she might be getting back into good form.
#7- Ena Barb (Canadian Racing, ridden by L Contreras)- The trainer looks to pick up his third career Wonder Where Stakes, and he has the horse the beat in the race. Of course, that is, if she too, can also transition to the turf for the first time. On the main track, she has been fantastic, with four wins in six career starts, with thirds in the races that she did not win. Her big win to date came here in June, when she won the $500.000 WO Oaks. It’s one of two Canadian-bred stakes that she has been triumphant in, and that result proves that there is no concern about her going the distance, which is a concern of a few others here. The only real question about her, is of course, how will she handle the grass. But it seems like we are asking that about half the field. That question can be answered by looking at her work here back on June 26th. Yes, it may have been a WIC, but that should erase any doubt. Ena Barb is the horse to beat here.
Prediction: 7-3-5-6
— NS
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded
