My Girl Sky upsets Thunder Bay for first stakes victory
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - My Girl Sky notched her first stakes win under a textbook ride from Steven Bahen in Friday’s $100,500 Thunder Bay for Ontario-sired 3-year-old fillies at Woodbine.
Later on the card, favored Banff rallied outside from a trailing seventh to beat out 10-1 shot Hunt Master by a head in the $100,000 Lake Superior for Ontario-sired colts and geldings. Both races were run at seven furlongs on the turf.
My Girl Sky ($16.40) saved ground in third on the turn and took dead aim at pacesetter Well Actually after Bahen angled her outside for the drive. My Girl Sky hit the front nearing the eighth pole and drew clear to prevail by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:23.53 over a course labeled good.
Souper Flashy closed to edge out Well Actually for second, as Talk to Ya Later finished another neck back in fourth. Favored Pleasure’s Gold wound up sixth in the nine-horse field.
A daughter of Dynamic Sky, My Girl Sky earned $60,000 for owner Kevin Drew.
“She really gives it her all in all her starts,” trainer Katerina Vassilieva said. “A few of the races, we were expecting a little bit more out of her, but those races didn’t play out quite the way we wanted. Today, all the luck was on our side and we were able to get the win. I was a little bit concerned that the turf would be too soft, but obviously it wasn’t a problem for the filly. She handled the turf just fine. It seemed in very good condition.”
In the Lake Superior, Banff ($3.20) covered the distance in 1:22.05 under Sahin Civaci, who got a leg up from trainer Marty Drexler. The son of Silent Name collected $60,000 for owners Douglas and Bridgett Cheetham.
“He’s a developing 3-year-old who’s getting better and better,” Drexler said. “We wanted to be off of it, and he seems to make that run every time. I was hoping that the turf was playing fair enough that we could make up the distance.”
Uncle Joe finished third ahead of Full Screen.
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