Silent Sonet targets Bessarabian Stakes.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Silent Sonet recorded her first graded stakes victory in her most recent start in the Grade 3 Ontario Fashion Stakes on Oct. 28 and will be pointed toward the Grade 2, $175,000 Bessarabian Stakes over seven furlongs on Tapeta on Nov. 25, trainer Nick Gonzalez said.

The Ontario Fashion victory, at a whopping $114.80 mutuel, also marked Silent Sonet’s second stakes win of the year after capturing the restricted Zadracarta Stakes over seven furlongs on turf back on July 1. Gonzalez said he’s noticed a difference in Silent Sonet’s training since the weather has cooled off into the fall.

“The cool weather has really helped her a lot,” he said. “She just wasn’t at her best when it was hot and muggy, and when the weather cooled down she sure got a lot better. I was really surprised when she went off at a such a big price the last race. It really wasn’t a 56-1 shot to any of us in the barn.”

Gonzalez said it was likely that he and owner/breeder Ivan Dalos would keep Silent Sonet sprinting going forward.

“That’s one thing about her, she has distance limitations,” he said. “Even though she did win a couple of stakes going a mile, it was on one-turn turf, so that makes a big difference. She’s going to be a sprinter, but she’s a good filly.”

Gonzalez said he was also planning on pointing Kasuga, whom he claimed for $62,500 out of a win Oct. 27, to the Bessarabian.

“She’s a beauty,” he said. “She’s been a hard-knocking mare. I’ve been watching her run the last two or three years, and she looks like a good fit for a stable like mine. We’ll keep them both ready for [the Bessarabian] and we’ll see what happens.”

Gonzalez noted that the Bessarabian would likely be Silent Sonet’s last race of the year. Gonzalez said he was planning on heading back to Gulfstream Park for the winter again this year, which isn’t an ideal fit for Silent Sonet given her affinity for cooler weather.

“I’ll always talk it over race after race with Mr. Dalos, but that’s what it’s looking like,” he said about taking the winter off. “She’s ran enough times this year. [The Bessarabian] is going to be a super tough race on her, too.”

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Ontario resident wins Breeders’ Cup contest

The Breeders’ Cup announced Friday that Kitchener, Ontario, resident Bob Brooks was named the grand-prize winner of the $100,000 Capture the Classic Challenge.

Participants in the challenge selected winning horses of six Breeders’ Cup Challenge races in the lead up to the Classic and gained virtual ownership of those horses for the big event. Brooks had chosen Accelerate to win the Awesome Again Stakes on Sept. 29 at Santa Anita and became one of Accelerate’s virtual owners for his win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs.

Brooks was selected as the grand-prize winner through a random draw.

“I was in disbelief because I’ve never won anything like this before,” said Brooks, 73, who grew up going to races at Woodbine and even attended the 1996 Breeders’ Cup in person there. “I was told it was for real, but with that much money, it’s hard to sink in. But it sure is a great feeling.”