Unspurned Makes Grade in Whimsical

Despite not having started since Nov. 8, Christine Hayden's Unspurned finished full of run to take the $146,287 Whimsical Stakes (Can-III) April 18 at Woodbine .

 

Racing in fourth early on in the six-furlong race, while favored Executive Allure set the pace through a half mile in :44.82, Unspurned rallied through the stretch under Alan Garcia to prevail by a length over Skylander Girl. It was another 2 1/2 lengths back to Executive Allure who weakened to third.

 

Third-choice Skylander Girl pressed the pace of Executive Allure throughout and took the lead at the top of the stretch but couldn't hold off the furious late run from Unspurned, who a Canadian classic winner who notched her first career graded stakes win.

 

"I had a great trip," Garcia said. "She broke well and we were in a good position all the way. For the last part (of the stretch run) I had to ask her to keep running, but she kicked very well. She made up a lot of ground and I was very pleased with the way she did it."

 

The 4-year-old Lemon Drop Kid   filly was racing on the anti-bleeding medication Lasix for the first time, notching her fourth career win from 12 starts for Hayden, who also bred the horse in Ontario from the Snow Ridge mare Banga Ridge

 

Trained by Hall of Famer Roger Attfield, Unspurned was a debut winner at  Woodbine in August 2013 and showed some promise placing in the Mazarine Stakes (gr. III) on Oct. 5.

 

Unspurned made her 3-year-old debut a winning one, taking an allowance race at Woodbine on May 18, 2014. Two starts later she became a stakes winner when wiring the pack to take the Bison City Stakes, the second leg jewel in Canada's Triple Tiara for Canadian-foaled fillies, at Woodbine on July 13.

 

She failed to win a race in her final four starts in 2014, but did finish second in her last three, including a placing effort behind Executive Allure in the Jammed Lovely Stakes at Woodbine on Nov. 8 to end her 2014 campaign.

 

"We were stunningly pleased," said Jay Hayden, the husband Christine Hayden. "We've been waiting for a result like that for a long time. We got an awesome ride from Alan, exactly the way Roger (Attfield) conveyed it to him over the phone. Roger said to just sit off the speed and let them gas themselves out and give her a shot."

 

Unspurned covered the six furlongs in 1:09.18 under jockey Alan Garcia and returned $11.40 to win, $5 to place and $3.30 to show. Skylander Girl paid $4.80 to place and $3.40 to show, while Executive Allure returned $3 to show.

 

All four of her career wins have now come over Woodbine's synthetic surface, where she owns a record of 4-4-1 from 10 starts.