Wonder Gadot Romps to Queen's Plate Score
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Gary Barber thanks jockey John Velazquez as Wonder Gadot returns from winning the Queen's Plate at Woodbine
Gary Barber's Wonder Gadot found her superpowers again June 30 in the 159th Queen's Plate at Woodbine.
A new set of blinkers gave Canada's champion 2-year-old filly wings, and she snapped a six-race losing streak with a 4 3/4-length romp in the 1 1/4-mile race for Canada-bred 3-year-olds.
"She loves the distance," winning trainer Mark Casse said of Wonder Gadot's victory in Canada's most prestigious classic. "I think if she'll stay happy and healthy, she's going to be tough. She'll give anybody in North America a run for their money in the (grade 1) Alabama (Stakes Aug. 18 at Saratoga Race Course), because it's the distance. She just goes and goes. She's Wonder Woman."
Wonder Gadot won the first race of a 3-year-old season in which she has been frustratingly close on multiple occasions, including a half-length loss to undefeated Monomoy Girl in the May 4 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1). She has hit the board in all but one of her 12 career starts. Off a head loss to Dixie Moon in the June 9 Woodbine Oaks Presented by Budweiser, she was sent off as the 2-1 choice in a 16-horse Queen's Plate field, the largest since 2011.
"She had a pretty bad trip last time. I've never strayed away from saying she was a mile-and-a-quarter horse. Honestly, I never had any doubt that she would be favored," Casse said.
Casse teamed with Barber for their second Queen's Plate win. They took the 2014 edition with eventual Canadian Horse of the Year Lexie Lou. Wonder Gadot became the ninth filly to win the Queen's Plate since its first running at Woodbine in 1956 and followed Holy Helena, who won last year's edition. She carried 121 pounds, a five-pound weight allowance from her male foes, who carried 126.
Although Southern Ontario was under an extreme heat warning Saturday, with temperatures at the track in the high 90s, Wonder Gadot kept her cool on her way to the gate.
"She is a cool customer," Casse said. "In fact, Gary asked me, 'Will this (heat) affect her?' I said, 'It will help her, because it's going to affect others, but it's not going to affect her. I knew that."
As she raced in eighth behind a :23.12 opening quarter, Wonder Gadot tracked off the pace set by stablemate Telekinesis, who moved quickly to the lead and was in front by a half-length through a half in :46.82 but wound up fifth at the end. Neepawa and Rose's Vision were in hot pursuit, and the latter assumed a half-length advantage as three-quarters went by in 1:11.85. But Telekinesis was not done yet and battled back to regain the lead by a half-length as the mile went in 1:36.28.
Wonder Gadot and jockey John Velazquez made a steady progression to fifth, fourth, and third at each point of call, before the dark bay filly took over off the turn for home and drew away. The final time was 2:02.26 on Woodbine's synthetic main track.
"The pace was a little quicker than I anticipated," Casse said. "I was surprised to see both of them up so close. I thought we'd lay off, and it was fast, and she wasn't far behind it. A lot of people could say it set up for her, but she was right there. She was running pretty much as fast as everyone else was. She just kept running."
"She was awesome," Velazquez said. "Finally, we got her to pay attention and pass horses. ... I think the blinkers got her to pay more attention and do her job. ... When I asked her down the lane, she responded really well."
Aheadbyacentury finished second at odds of 28-1, while 46-1 shot Cooler Mike came in third, 2 3/4 lengths back. The order of finish was completed by Strike Me Down, Telekinesis, Say the Word, Boyhood Dream, Alternative Route, Real Dude, Neepawa, Inge, Silent Poet, Pawnbroker, Rose's Vision, Marriage Counselor, and Dixie Moon.
Although the heat didn't keep Wonder Gadot from running her race, Casse eschewed the traditional winner's circle photo and took the shank to walk Wonder Gadot for several minutes on the E.P. Taylor turf course over concerns she could be tying up—getting muscle cramps after her tremendous effort. He joined his group for the trophy presentation once he was satisfied and sent Wonder Gadot back to the barn.
"If you think about it, obviously the Queen's Plate ceremony is much longer than the average winner's circle ceremony. She's just ran a mile and a quarter, and she's hot," Casse said. "I could see where it was going to last 15 minutes, and she was having a little bit of a hard time catching her breath. Win pictures don't mean that much. That's why I took her myself, because I wanted to feel like she had caught her breath and she was happy. That's why you saw me walking around, talking to her. I told her to look at the other horses. I said, 'Go look at the other horses,' so she'd get her mind off it, I just wanted her to relax and catch her breath. So that's what I was doing. Then I was like, 'They got lots of pictures of her, she can go home, she needs to go home and rest.'"
By Medaglia d'Oro , Wonder Gadot was a $325,000 purchase by TM Investments from Eisaman Equine's consignment to the Ocala Breeders' Sales April 2017 Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. She was bred in Ontario by Anderson Farms, out of the Vindication mare Loving Vindication, and was pinhooked by Eisaman from the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $80,000.
"Mark was telling me when he bought her—he said, 'This horse is really special. Find a special name,'" Barber recalled. "So I said, 'OK, she's a wonderful horse, let's go with 'Wonder,' and then I matched up (the second part) with (Wonder Woman) star (Gal) Gadot.
"I love fillies. Mark knows that. We go for pedigrees and runners. We're very blessed to have this one. This was her due—definitely. I feel like she got her deserved reward, and she's got better things (to come) down the road."
The second step in the OLG Canadian Triple Crown, the July 24 Prince of Wales Stakes on dirt at Fort Erie, could be next for Wonder Gadot. Casse also trains John Oxley's grade 3 winner Flameaway, who is pointing toward that race. Casse said he will likely take Wonder Gadot to Saratoga Race Course with him July 7 and train her there before a return to Canada for the Prince of Wales.
"If all goes well—and I'd have to discuss it with Gary and everything—but the Prince of Wales may set her up well for the Alabama," Casse said. "I never will make a decision based on one horse owner over another. I'll explain the situation to all parties and let them make the final decision. Would Flameaway not like to see Wonder Gadot? Yeah, he probably would rather her not be there. But I don't do that. Just like today, all my riders did their thing. Nobody was helping the other one.
"We have a big stable, we run multiple horses for a lot of people, and you can't do that. You have to let every horse be what they are and get them in the best place. And I think (the Prince of Wales) makes sense for Flameaway, and it probably makes sense for Wonder Gadot, and they'll probably meet."