Enstone triumphs in Ontario Colleen Stakes

Enstone chased down her three-year-old filly foes to earn her first graded stakes victory in $125,000 Ontario Colleen Stakes (Gr. 3) with Patrick Husbands aboard on Sunday afternoon at Woodbine Racetrack.

R Naja (Jesse Campbell) led the way through quarter panels of :23.59, :47.11 and 1:11.18 before being swarmed by the rest of the field. The fillies spread across the track down the stretch, with Enstone emerging from behind the race leader at the rail to take command and score the 1-1/4 length victory in 1:34.28 over the oncoming favourite, Grizzel (David Moran), and Reverse (Jerome Lermyte).

“Every time she comes out, she gives you 110,” said Husbands after the race. “I was always telling myself one of these days I could get [Enstone] to sit behind horses and get speed to run at and today was the day.

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“Today, I had a nice pace in front of me and she did what she does in the morning running them down, and when I asked her, she just took off.”

Enstone was bred by William D. Graham and is owned by East West Stables. Supplemented to one-mile turf test for $2,500 by her connections, the consistent Ontario-bred Tiznow-La Suena filly now boasts three wins and two second-place finishes from six sophomore starts. In addition to the Ontario Colleen, she won this year’s Fury Stakes along with the Bison City Stakes and was runner-up in the Selene Stakes (Gr. 3) and the Wonder Where Stakes last time out.

“She’s just a nice horse. She ran well at two, she’s run hard at three. We’ll see, she’s probably going to get a rest now,” said Casse of the career winner of over $400,000. “What can you say? She runs on the synthetic, she runs on the turf, she can do anything.”

Woodbine’s meet leading trainer also commented on some of his memorable moments this year and indicated what could lie ahead.

“Meeting the Queen was right up there with the best [moments]. It’s unbelievable to get to do something like that,” said Casse. “We’ve had a lot of good things happen — winning the Arkansas Derby [with Classic Empire] — and then, of course, getting beat in the Preakness was a little tough, but we’re real excited about bringing World Approval up here for the [Gr. 1 Ricoh Woodbine] Mile. We think he’s one of the best turf horses in the country and we’re going to try to prove it.”

Sent postward at odds of 5-1, Enstone paid $12.80, $5.90 and $3.70. She combined with Grizzel ($3.60, $2.90) for a 5-6 exactor worth $36.50. A 5-6-1 triactor (Reverse, $7.90) paid $397.15 and a $1 superfecta of 5-6-1-4 (Mythical Mission) returned $1,958.65. Yellow Agate, Super Marina, Victory to Victory, Valentine Wish and R Naja completed the order of finish.