Sister Seagull tries turf in Wonder Where, closing leg of the Triple Tiara

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Sister Seagull will try for another victory in a leg of the Canadian Triple Tiara in Sunday’s $250,000 Wonder Where Stakes, a 1 1/4-mile turf route for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies.

Sister Seagull closed for second in the Woodbine Oaks behind runaway winner Moira, who came back to beat the boys easily in the Queen’s Plate. Sister Seagull most recently came from fourth to take the second leg of the Triple Tiara series, the Bison City Stakes, on a speed-favoring track with a career-best 78 Beyer Speed Figure going 1 1/16 miles.

Trainer Catherine Day Phillips said she’s looking forward to seeing Sister Seagull negotiate a longer distance on the grass, a surface over which she’s yet to compete.

“She should enjoy a little stretchout,” Day Phillips predicted. “She’s a pretty relaxed filly, so I think the distance should be in her favor. Turf shouldn’t be an issue. She’s out of a Kitten’s Joy mare and she’s by Hard Spun, so her breeding suggests that she’ll like it. She’s very competitive.”

Antonio Gallardo will ride Sister Seagull again for owners Sean and Dorothy Fitzhenry.

Trainer Gail Cox sends out the Sam-Son Farm homebreds Whimsical Dance and Swoop to Finish in the six-horse contest.

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Whimsical Dance rallied stoutly from eighth to land her debut in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special on the grass Aug. 21, earning an 81 Beyer under Declan Carroll.

“She was quite immature, mentally and physically,” Cox recalled. “I just didn’t want to run her until I thought she had a good chance to win or at least run really well. Declan said that down the lane she was just gawking at everything.

“She came out of the race really well. Three weeks is a short time between races, but she had a nice breeze on Sunday and I think we have to take a shot. I think it’s the perfect race for her. Distance isn’t going to be an issue, and I don’t think she’d care what kind of turf it is.”

Whimsical Dance is out of 2020 Canadian Broodmare of the Year Danceforthecause, the dam of graded stakes winners Say the Word and Rideforthecause. Both were trained by Cox.

Swoop to Finish won her maiden in her penultimate start on the inner turf and got a little break after ending up sixth in the 1 1/8-mile Woodbine Oaks.

“She just doesn’t like the main track as much as she does the turf,” Cox said. “She’s not the same on it. She’s been working along since [the Oaks] and she’s doing really well.

“She’s very nice and she’s a more aggressive filly than Whimsical Dance. When she won, she was close to the lead. She’s a big filly with a huge, long stride, and came to hand very quickly.”

Rounding out the field are Strega, Devil’s Bit, and Keep It Neat.

Strega rode a speed bias to a close second in the Bison City, easily the best performance of her career. Her trainer, Kevin Attard, won last year’s Wonder Where with Munnyfor Ro.