Favoured Unhindered, with Luis Contreras aboard, led all the way to take the featured $126,500 My Dear Stakes for two-year-old fillies, Saturday at Woodbine.
Trained by Ralph Biamonte for owners Ron Magers and Bob Marcocchio, Unhindered, a $50,000 yearling purchase, was winning her second straight, by three-quarters of a length over Sweet Dreams, to remain unbeaten after demolishing a maiden event by five lengths on June 14.
The final time for the five furlong dash was :58.33 seconds, after splits of :22.71 and :45.64. Unhindered opened four lengths on her rivals turning for home and, although that margin diminished, she proved a comfortable winner.
A field of six, after the morning scratch of Dixie Twist, went postward in the My Dear, one of the oldest stake races run at Woodbine, having had its first edition in 1941.
The grey Kentucky-bred daughter of Stormy Atlantic-Sakura Song earned $75,000 for the win, pushing her blossoming bankroll to $105,897.
“No (I didn’t know anything about her), but Ralph told me everything about her,” said Contreras, aboard for the first time after Eurico Rosa da Silva had piloted her to the maiden triumph.
“She’s pretty nice and simple. She’s fast from the gate. I was just waiting (for the other horses). I gave my filly a little break (down the stretch).”
Said Biamonte, “We had nowhere else to go (race-wise). We didn’t want to come back in two weeks. However, this horse’s first race wasn’t that hard and difficult for her. She was just in good order. She’s a good filly. She ate well. She trained well up to it, we trained her easily and she ran well.”
Sent postward the even money choice, Unhindered returned $4, $2.40 and $2.30, combining with Sweet Dreams ($2.60, $2.10) for a $6.80 (1-2) exactor. A 1-2-7 (Happy to Go, $3) triactor was worth $27.
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