Fresh off a victory in last month's Trillium Stakes (G3), Gamble's Ghost heads into the July 15 Ontario Matron Stakes (G3) in winning form for her connections, who are looking to repeat in the $125,000 race at Woodbine.
In the Trillium, Gamble's Ghost powered to victory off a ground-saving trip engineered by her regular rider, Eurico Rosa da Silva. A graded stakes winner each year of her career, Gamble's Ghost has also conquered the 2015 Mazarine Stakes (G3), 2016 Selene Stakes (G3), and 2017 Maple Leaf Stakes (G3) over two turns at Woodbine.
The 5-year-old Ghostzapper mare has earned $653,160 with eight wins from 18 starts.
Gamble's Ghost's award-winning stablemate Ami's Mesa captured the 1 1/16-mile event last year for trainer Josie Carroll and owner/breeder Ivan Dalos.
Carroll also won the Ontario Matron in 2009 with Smart Surprise, owned by Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings, which has that mare's graded stakes-winning daughter Moonlit Promise as a contender this year. Co-owned by Windsor Boys Racing, Moonlit Promise enters the Ontario Matron off top-three finishes in the grade 3 Whimsical and Hendrie sprints at Woodbine.
Whimsical winner and Hendrie runner-up Let It Ride Mom joins stablemates My Arch Enemy and Malibu Bonnie to give leading trainer and Canadian Hall of Famer Mark Casse three chances in the race.
Woodbine, Sunday, July 15, 2018, Race 8Entries: Ontario Matron S. (G3)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Grizzel (IRE)
David Moran
119
Michael J. Doyle
8/1
2
2Moonlit Promise (KY)
Rafael Manuel Hernandez
117
Josie Carroll
7/2
3
3My Arch Enemy (KY)
Gary Boulanger
117
Mark E. Casse
6/1
4
4Sister Nation (KY)
Luis Contreras
117
Michael P. De Paulo
12/1
5
5Malibu Bonnie (KY)
Jerome Lermyte
117
Mark E. Casse
20/1
6
6Daddy's Great Bay (KY)
Kazushi Kimura
117
Gordon C. Colbourne
20/1
7
7Gamble's Ghost (ON)
Eurico Rosa Da Silva
124
Josie Carroll
2/1
8
8Just Be Kind (KY)
Steven Ronald Bahen
117
Reade Baker
20/1
9
9Let It Ride Mom (KY)
Patrick Husbands
119
Mark E. Casse
3/1