Wonder Gadot kicks clear in Demoiselle

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Wonder Gadot had enough of an excuse when sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies for her connections to give her another chance on the dirt.

Saturday, Wonder Gadot made the most of that second chance, sitting close to a soft early pace then finishing with a flourish to win the Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle Stakes by 3 3/4 lengths at Aqueduct. Maurer Power, stuck behind horses around the turn, finished okay to be second, by three lengths over Layla Noor. Daisy, Held Accountable, Indy Union, Stakes On a Plane and Vindictive Ways completed the order of finish.

Wonder Gadot now has 3 wins from 5 starts with her wins coming on the turf, synthetic, and now dirt.

In the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, Wonder Gadot got off a bit slow and was in 11th position early. She tried to rally in the stretch and finished sixth, though she steadied late and possibly could have been fourth.

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Both trainer Mark Casse and Velazquez, who was riding Wonder Gadot for the first time, wanted to make sure the filly got into the Demoiselle early.

Daisy from her inside post, won the race into the first turn, but Wonder Gadot was within three-quarters of a length of her through an opening quarter in 24.47 seconds, a half-mile in 50.28, and six furlongs in 1:16.24.

Wonder Gadot drew on even terms approaching the quarter pole and a patient Velazquez waited until the three-sixteenths pole to ask Wonder Gadot to run. When she did, Wonder Gadot lengthened her stride and pulled away.

Wonder Gadot, a daughter of Medaglia d’Oro owned by Gary Barber, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:53.91 and returned $5.20 as the 8-5 favorite.

“She broke good, they went slow enough, I was comfortable where I was, no dirt in her face,” Velazquez said. “After that, it was pretty easy. I just wait and wait with her, and when I asked her at the quarter pole she just started running, her stride getting longer and faster. It’s a good feeling when you plan something and it works out.”

The victory earned Wonder Gadot 10 qualifying points toward the Kentucky Oaks in May. She will likely return to south Florida where Casse bases during the winter and be put on a path to the Oaks.

Maurer Power, stretching out in distance and stepping up in class, ran a solid second in the Demoiselle. After racing wide entering the first turn, she was taken off the pace by Irad Ortiz Jr. and was stuck behind horses from the five-sixteenths to the three-sixteenths pole. When clear, she showed the ability to finish but the slow pace made it impossible to catch Wonder Gadot.

“I want to save some ground, going a mile and an eighth you don’t want to be four or five wide the whole way,” Ortiz said. “I take a chance and put her behind a live horse, and then they slowed down too much and it cost me.”