Slow start can't stop Wet Your Whistle in Highlander Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Wet Your Whistle ($9.30) broke slowly but was still able to rally from the back of the pack to win the Grade 1, $304,800 Highlander Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths over Extravagant Kid on Saturday at Woodbine.

Yorkton broke the sharpest from the far outside and went to the lead early on, as Wet Your Whistle trailed the field through opening fractions of 22.44 seconds for the opening quarter and 44.87 seconds for the opening half-mile.

Yorkton carried his lead into the stretch with Extravagant Kid right on his hip in second. Extravagant Kid went on to take the lead inside the eighth pole, but he couldn’t hold off Wet Your Whistle, who picked off the field along the outside en route to victory in the six-furlong race. The final time over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course was 1:07.88.

“The last couple of times he didn’t get out so well,” said winning jockey Alex Cintron, who was making his first start at Woodbine. “I just leave him alone. He’s been running great that way. I don’t try to change anything in this race. I just tried to ride the same way I rode last time. He ran better than the last time. I was impressed in the last quarter of a mile. He was flying.”

Wet Your Whistle has now won four consecutive races, a streak that began at Woodbine with an 8 1/4-length allowance win on Tapeta back in December.

“We always had thought he could do some good things, but [the Woodbine allowance win] was the turning point for him,” said trainer Michael Trombetta. “He learned to settle himself down just enough. He’s a high-strung type of individual. He’s learning to run when he’s supposed to and it’s been a lot of fun.”

Wet Your Whistle now sports a career record of five wins from 11 starts, and recorded his first career Grade 1 victory in the Highlander, earning the $180,000 winner’s share in the race for owner David W. Palmer.