Wonder Gadot points to Demoiselle Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Making her first start on dirt, Wonder Gadot finished sixth the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar on Nov. 4, and will run back in the Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle Stakes at Aqueduct on Dec. 2, trainer Mark Casse said.

The Demoiselle is at 1 1/8 miles on dirt.

Casse said Wonder Gadot shipped to his training center in Ocala, Fla., following the Breeders’ Cup, and breezed five furlongs in 1:01.00 on dirt there Saturday. Casse added that he was pleased with Wonder Gadot’s effort in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, won by Caledonia Road.

“I was proud of her,” he said. “Those are the best fillies in North America. Obviously, the winner was very impressive. I think given a little better trip, we could have been third. She kind of kept running. She likes the dirt and the farther the better.”

A strong performance in the Demoiselle could put Wonder Gadot in the running for the Sovereign Award for champion 2-year-old filly. She was based at Woodbine from August to the middle of October.

She won her debut going seven furlongs on the turf in the allowance prep for the Grade 1 Natalma Stakes on Aug. 26, and followed that with a third-place finish in the Natalma on Sept. 17. In her final prep for the Breeders’ Cup, on Oct. 7, Wonder Gadot romped on the Tapeta, winning the Grade 3 Mazarine Stakes by six lengths.

If Wonder Gadot continues to develop over the winter, Casse said he might consider a trip back to Woodbine for next summer’s Queen’s Plate.

“We’re extremely excited about her,” he said. “If she stays healthy, I think she’s a Kentucky Oaks filly and I think she’s a Queen’s Plate horse.”