Stormcast shows enough turf ability to make her Wonder Where favorite

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Stormcast and Hurricane Clair, the top two finishers in the Bison City Stakes on Aug. 10, will meet again in the final leg of the Canadian Triple Tiara, the $250,000 Wonder Where Stakes on Sunday at Woodbine.

Stormcast will be favored in the 1 1/4-mile turf race with Patrick Husbands riding for trainer Mark Casse. She did not run in the nine-furlong Woodbine Oaks and was 6-1 in the 1 1/16-mile Bison City on the Tapeta. After being reluctantly loaded into the gate, she darted out to a clear lead and won for fun with a big 91 Beyer Speed Figure.

Husbands was also aboard when Stormcast ran second while failing to relax on the lead two back in a nine-furlong allowance for 3-year-olds and up.

“I never got her shut off,” Husbands recalled. “Seven furlongs out on the first turn [in the Bison City], she shut right off. She showed that she’s all class.”

Stormcast’s limited turf form is excellent. She graduated in a seven-furlong maiden special third time out here last July and was second in the one-mile Honey Ryder Stakes off a 9 1/2-month layoff at Gulfstream Park in May. Her main obstacle in the Wonder Where might be the distance over a main course which should have some give to it with rain in the forecast for the weekend.

Hurricane Clair is the other protagonist in the seven-horse field. Trained by Marty Drexler, she graduated in the restricted Muskoka Stakes at 2 and has seemingly improved with each subsequent start this year.

After romping in an Ontario-sired allowance route on the inner turf June 23, Hurricane Clair had some early trouble in the Oaks before closing for third behind Kin’s Ghost and Caitlinhergrtness, who came back to beat the boys in the King’s Plate. Most recently in the Bison City, she chased Stormcast all the way and finished nearly eight lengths behind her while well ahead of the others.

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Drexler believes Hurricane Clair is sitting on another peak performance.

“She’s very fit and looks great,” Drexler said. “She just keeps getting stronger and better. I have no reason to believe that she won’t get the trip. The day that she won on the grass, that turf was on the soft side and she seemed to get over it not bad.”

Trainer Kevin Attard entered Vucchella and My Girl Della.

Vucchella took a while to win her maiden but finally got the job done last out going about nine furlongs on the main course. She was never in contention when eighth in the Oaks.

My Girl Della finished seventh after a wide trip in the Oaks and is coming off a well-beaten fourth in the Bison City.

Chiefswood Stables sends out the improving maidens Saccharine and Quality Presence.

“I am confident both will get the distance,” said Robert Landry, Chiefswood’s general manager. “You can see that Quality Presence is starting to hit her best stride.”

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