Sister Seagull Powers Home in Wonder Where Stakes
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Photo: Michael Burns
Sister Seagull wins the Wonder Where Stakes at Woodbine
It wasn't a particularly memorable start, but it turned out to be an unforgettable finish for Sister Seagull , who rallied to win the $250,000 Wonder Where Stakes, third leg of the Triple Tiara, Sept. 11 at Woodbine.
The 1 1/4-mile race for 3-year-old fillies foaled in Canada saw Sister Seagull steadied slightly heading into the first bend, but when crunch time arrived, the Catherine Day Phillips trainee was in full flight down the E.P. Taylor Turf Course stretch.
Strega broke sharply and was sent to the front with Swoop to Finish , one of two (Whimsical Dance) Sam-Son runners picking up the chase in second, followed by Devil's Bit , Keep It Neat , Sister Seagull, and Whimsical Dance .
The first quarter, in :26.27, saw Strega holding a half-length lead over Swoop to Finish, as the running order remained mostly unchanged through a half in :51.69.
After reaching three-quarters, Swoop to Finish began to pressure the leader as Antonio Gallardo, aboard Sister Seagull, gave the daughter of Hard Spun her cue. The chestnut came off the final turn needing to track down Swoop to Finish, who continued to run determinedly to the inside. Sister Seagull eventually wore her down to record a one-length triumph in 2:04.65 over firm going.
Devil's Bit was third and Whimsical Dance came fourth.
"I had to check just a little bit," Gallardo said of the start. "But thank God it's one mile and a quarter because you have plenty of time to figure out and pull everything together again.
"She's a nice filly. I liked her more today because of the distance. It's perfect for her. I feel like she's more on the bridle on the turf. Today, everything was beautiful... really easy."
Sister Seagull wins the Wonder Where Stakes at Woodbine
Bred by Sean Fitzhenry, who co-owns the filly with his wife, Dorothy, it was the second straight score and third in the last four attempts for Sister Seagull. It also gave her connections two triumphs in the Triple Tiara. After a second in the first leg (the July 24 Woodbine Oaks Presented by Budweiser), Sister Seagull took the middle leg, the Bison City Stakes, Aug. 14. She has a record of 3-1-1 from eight starts.
"That was exciting," Sean Fitzhenry said. "I figured the long stretch would help her and it did. It's (winning two legs of the Triple Tiara) a testament to what we do with our broodmares. It's a good source of pride."
As it was for Day Phillips, who celebrated her wedding anniversary with husband Todd Phillips on Sunday.
The multiple graded stakes winning trainer felt the Wonder Where distance would be beneficial for her 3-year-old star.
"She's always acted like she wants to go further. Her breeding suggests turf. But she's had two tough races coming into this, so that was a little bit of a concern," Day Phillips said. "She's not a big, strong filly. She just is all heart. I'm so proud of her."
Sister Seagull paid $7.90 to win and increased her earnings to $376,737. She is out of the graded stakes-winning Kitten's Joy mare Sweet Kitten, who has three winners from five foals to race. The dam also has a Hard Spun yearling colt, and was bred back to the sire for the 2023 season.