Silent Sonet Upsets Ontario Fashion for Graded Score
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Photo: Michael Burns
Silent Sonet wins the Ontario Fashion Stakes at Woodbine
Ivan Dilos' Silent Sonet had a dream trip in the $125,000 Ontario Fashion Stakes (G3), stalking the pace to earn her first graded victory Oct. 28 at Woodbine at odds of 56-1.
The daughter of Silent Name , trained by Nicholas Gonzalez, finished the six-furlong test for older fillies and mares in 1:08.77 over the all-weather track.
"This filly has been doing so great for us and the cool weather didn't hurt," Gonzalez said. "She really didn't deserve to be 50-whatever-to-1 in my mind. I'm just so happy for Ivan. It's a tribute to him and we're so lucky here in Ontario that he just continues to do a great job owning and breeding and carrying on. He's just great for us."
Riding outside the flank of Code Warrior who led the way soon after the gates opened, jockey David Moran kept the 4-year-old Silent Sonet within striking range through half-mile fractions of :22.83 and :45.15. Jessica Krupnick settled in third where she remained for the majority of the race.
As the field rounded the turn, Moran and Silent Sonet turned up the heat on Code Warrior who hung on into the stretch but faded with less than a furlong to run. In the end Silent Sonet won by a half-length, with Jessica Krupnick staying on for second and Moonlit Promise getting past Code Warrior for third.
"She broke good and I sat beside Jesse (Campbell, aboard Code Warrior) there," said Moran of his winning trip. "Actually, I thought Jesse had a lot more horse turning for home, but when I asked my girl, she switched leads and she quickened up nice actually so it was great."
The winner returned $114.80, $54.90, and $23.50 across the board. Silent Sonet pushed her earnings to $248,401 and her win tally to five from 12 starts.
Racing exclusively at Woodbine, Silent Sonet won her debut—a maiden claiming event—by 6 3/4 lengths as a 3-year-old. Later in the season she added the Le Prevoyante Stakes in her fifth start, this time by 6 1/4 lengths.
Starting off her 4-year-old campaign with a fifth-place finish in the Whimsical (G3) in her graded stakes debut, Silent Sonet dropped back to the stakes level where she won the Zadracarta in one of four stakes starts. She came into the Ontario Fashion off two straight off-the-board finishes, most recently a fourth in the Sept. 15 Sweet Briar Too going 6 1/2 furlongs.
"I was flabbergasted actually," said Dalos, who dedicated the surprise victory to trainer Gonzalez's wife Martha. "I certainly didn't expect this to happen, but it couldn't happen to a nicer trainer and a nicer family. This is for Martha."
Bred by Tall Oaks Farm, Silent Sonet is out of the Hussonet mare Dynasonet. Silent Sonet is the mare's first stakes winner from five foals to race.