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Canadian-bred filly Wonder Gadot chasing history at US$1.25-million Travers

History won’t be on Wonder Gadot’s side at the US$1.25-million Travers Stakes.
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History won’t be on Wonder Gadot’s side at the US$1.25-million Travers Stakes.

Only seven fillies have ever won the Grade 1 race, none since Lady Rotha in 1915. And when the Queen’s Plate and Prince of Wales Stakes champion settles in the starter’s gate Saturday at Saratoga, she’ll become the first filly to run in the 1 1/4-mile event since Davona Dale in 1979.

The Travers will be Wonder Gadot’s third straight race against males but trainer Mark Casse, 10 times Canada’s top conditioner, doesn’t see running in Saturday’s race as a calculated gamble.

“I really feel she’s as good as any of them,” Casse said during a conference call Tuesday. “To be able to accomplish something that hasn’t been accomplished in over 100 years, I think it makes sense and Gary (American owner Gary Barber) thinks it makes sense.

“When you go look in the paddock she may be the biggest, strongest horse in the race. A lot of people haven’t seen what she looks like but I think they’ll be impressed. We’re trying to make history here and we feel she has a good shot.”

Like her famous namesake — Wonder Gadot is named after ”Wonder Woman” actress Gal Gadot — the heralded filly has drawn notice at Saratoga leading up the Travers. Casse said his horse has taken it all in stride.

“She is a professional in every way,” Casse said. “Nothing bothers her and I think she enjoys the attention.

“She’s always been a cool, calm customer and that continues.”

The dark bay filly was certainly impressive in winning the first two legs of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown.

Wonder Gadot claimed the $1-million Queen’s Plate by 4 3/4 lengths on June 30 on Woodbine Racetrack’s polytrack, the fourth filly in eight years to win the prestigious race. Just over three weeks later, she went wire-to-wire in sloppy conditions to capture the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes by 5 3/4 lengths on Fort Erie Racetrack’s dirt surface.

Wonder Gadot skipped the third leg — the $400,000 Breeders’ Stakes — to run in the Travers. Neepawa, another Casse-conditioned horse, won the 1 1/2-mile turf race Saturday at Woodbine to give Casse the unofficial trainer’s Triple Crown.

“I really didn’t think about it until they were coming down the lane but it’s a great accomplishment for us and our team,” Casse said. “There were parts of me that felt bad that we weren’t there with Wonder Gadot but I also feel like Saturday we’re going to be representing Woodbine and Canada.

“Hopefully everybody will forgive me if she runs well.”

There’s always much made in North American horse racing when a filly shows she can run with male competition, but Casse feels the difference between the sexes is overblown.

“It happens all the time in Europe,” he said. “The reason why it doesn’t happen as much in North America is there’s usually another race that corresponds, like the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby.

“If they ran the Kentucky Oaks, which they could never do because of scheduling, three weeks prior you might see a lot more of those fillies running in the Kentucky Derby. About eight or nine years ago they moved the Woodbine Oaks back three weeks from the Queen’s Plate and now you see numerous fillies go and beat the colts. I don’t feel it’s that big a deal … she really doesn’t care. She only knows one thing and that’s she wants to win.”

Wonder Gadot will have a new rider Saturday. Irad Ortiz Jr., the leading jockey at Saratoga, gets the mount as John Velazquez, Wonder Gadot’s regular jockey, will be aboard Vino Rosso in the Travers.

Ortiz was originally scheduled to ride Hofburg in the Travers but that horse was withdrawn Sunday after spiking a fever. Casse said he and Ortiz will watch film on Wonder Gadot, and the filly shouldn’t present Ortiz with any challenges Saturday.

“The only thing you have to do is maybe get her into the race a little bit early and not let the speed get too away,” he said. “She doesn’t have a big turn of foot, it’s more just a big, continuous motion so you don’t want to give her too much to do.

“She just keeps going, she doesn’t have any quit in her.”

Wonder Gadot has finished in the money in all eight starts this year (two wins, four seconds, two thirds), amassing $1.068 million in earnings. She’s missed the money once in 13 career races (five wins, four seconds, three thirds) and made just under $1.4 million.