Play the Music pulls away late to take first graded stakes in Whimsical

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Turf sprint specialist Play the Music mastered Woodbine’s synthetic Tapeta surface on Saturday with a 4 1/4-length score in the Grade 3 Whimsical under Patrick Husbands.

Play the Music ($8.70) saved ground in midpack in the 14-horse field, while longshot The Arcadian Way set a fast pace in the six-furlong sprint, after breaking from the far outside.

Husbands angled Play the Music outside for the drive and she darted to the lead in midstretch, before drawing off to prevail in a time of 1:10.59.

There was a scramble for second and Peacock Lass earned the place prize over Dolce Sopresa and Baby No Worries, who dead-heated for third. The favored Florida shipper Accomplished Girl faded from a stalking position to finish eighth.

A daughter of Mo Town, Play the Music collected $81,000 of the $141,025 purse for Glassman Racing. Trainer Mark Casse sent her out to win the Lightening City Stakes Feb. 24 at Tampa, after which she ran sixth in the Grade 3 Giant’s Causeway at Keeneland.

“Handicapping this race, I didn’t know who to follow,” Husbands said. “She came out of the gates fast. I tried to give her a nice trip. I got lucky with that trip. She was just doing it easy.”

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