Wonder Gadot Beats the Boys in the Queen's Plate

Gary Barber's 'TDN Rising Star' Wonder Gadot (Medaglia d'Oro) has become a throwback horse of sorts.

Entering Saturday's C$1-million Queen's Plate at Woodbine, the May foal had made 11 starts in about 275 days, her longest 'rest' being the 42 days she had between winning the Dec. 2 GII Demoiselle S. in New York and a runner-up effort in the Silverbulletday S. after relocating to New Orleans Jan. 13. The equine posterchild for 'no rest for the weary,' the dark bay was equipped with a set of blinkers for the first time for the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown and she responded with arguably her best career effort, kicking home impressively to score by a decisive 4 3/4 lengths.

In so doing, she becomes the fourth filly to beat the boys in the Plate this decade, joining Inglorious (Hennessy, 2011), fellow Barber/Casse campaigner Lexie Lou (Sligo Bay {Ire}, 2014) and last year's winner Holy Helena (Ghostzapper).

Away without incident from her double-digit draw, Wonder Gadot found herself in midfield as the Queen's Plate field raced under the line with a circuit to travel, with 'TDN Rising Star' and Plate Trial hero Telekinesis (Ghostzapper) having to work overtime on the business end of things. Three wide and on the back of Rose's Vision (Artie Schiller) banking around the first turn, Wonder Gadot was guided out into the clear and had advanced into fifth spot passing midway, assuring a wide passage through the second half of the race. Always traveling like a winner, Wonder Gadot was felt for by Velazquez and loomed up four deep at the entrance to the straight, while Cooler Mike (Giant Gizmo) was simultaneously coming with a run underneath her. But the filly was always doing the superior work and she showed a nice burst of acceleration over the furthest trip of her career to prove not for catching. Aheadbyacentury (Midnight Lute) rallied nicely for second ahead of Cooler Mike.

Casse was understandably over the moon and is looking forward to a return trip to the lower 48.

“If all goes well, the [July 24] Prince of Wales [at Fort Erie] could set her up well for the [GI] Alabama,” said Casse, referring to Saratoga's 3-year-old filly centerpiece Aug. 18. “She loves the distance. 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 Alabama. She just goes and goes. She's Wonder Woman.”

Winner of three-from-five last year and Canda's Sovereign Award-winning juvenile filly, Wonder Gadot had yet to taste victory in 2018 prior to Saturday despite some top efforts. Third to Momomoy Girl (Tapizar) in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. and third again in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks, she was beaten a nose in the GIII Fantasy S. at Oaklawn Apr. 13. She was defeated a half-length into second by Monomoy Girl when suffering a bit of late-stretch interference in the GI Kentucky Oaks and was exiting a narrow loss at the hands of Dixie Moon (Curlin) in the June 9 Woodbine Oaks.

Pedigree Notes:

A sister to SW & GSP Solemn Tribute, Wonder Gadot was an $80,000 KEESEP yearling turned $325,000 OBS April breezer and is out of a winning daughter of GSW & GISP Chimichurri (Elusive Quality). Wonder Gadot's year-younger half-sister Hard Not To Love (Hard Spun) cost the partnership of West Point Thoroughbreds and Vosburgh $400,000 at KEESEP last fall and is in training with John Shirreffs at Santa Anita, where she breezed a half-mile in :50.40 Friday morning. Loving Vindication foaled a colt by Bodemeister in 2017 and a filly by Nyquist this past Apr. 22.

Saturday, Woodbine
QUEEN'S PLATE S., C$1,008,000, Woodbine, 6-30, (C), 3yo, 1 1/4m (AWT), 2:02.26, ft.
1–WONDER GADOT, 121, f, 3, by Medaglia d'Oro&log=">Medaglia d'Oro
1st Dam: Loving Vindication, by Vindication
2nd Dam: Chimichurri, by Elusive Quality
3rd Dam: Hard Knocker, by Raja Baba
'TDN Rising Star' ($80,000 Ylg '16 KEESEP; $325,000 2yo '17
OBSAPR). O-Gary Barber; B-Anderson Farms Ont. Inc. (ON);
T-Mark E. Casse; J-John R. Velazquez. C$600,000. Lifetime
Record: Ch. 2yo Filly-Can, MGISP, 12-4-4-3, $1,199,053. *Full to
Solemn Tribute, SW & GSP, $181,234.
2–Aheadbyacentury, 126, c, 3, Midnight Lute–Sinful, by Touch
Gold. (C$67,000 Ylg '16 CANSEP). O-Jack of Hearts Racing and
J.R. Racing Stable Inc.; B-Hill 'N' Dale Farms (ON); T-John A.
Ross. C$200,000.
3–Cooler Mike, 126, g, 3, Giant Gizmo–Executive Affair, by Bold
Executive. (C$58,000 RNA Ylg '16 CANSEP). O/B-Mike & Nick
Nosowenko (ON); T-Nicholas Nosowenko. C$100,000.
Margins: 4 3/4, 2 3/4, HD. Odds: 2.20, 28.60, 46.30.
Also Ran: Strike Me Down, Telekinesis, Say the Word, Boyhood Dream, Alternative Route, Real Dude, Neepawa, Inge, Silent Poet, Pawnbroker, Rose's Vision, Marriage Counselor, Dixie Moon. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.