Shotgun Wedding adamant victory under Keveh Nicholls. (Michael Burns photo)
Chris Lomon, Woodbin
TORONTO, Ont. – Shotgun Wedding, ridden to perfection by Keveh Nicholls, took her first stakes win Saturday in the $125,000 Ontario Damsel, for 3-year-old fillies, at 1 1/16 miles above the Woodbine main track.
After early splits of :23.21, :47.12 and 1:12.31 from No Time, Shotgun Wedding slipped to the pacesetter at 7-1 around the turn for home and then burst into the lead early en route to a three-quarters of a length score in a time of 1:44.23. Tiz Her Money rallied to finish second, a neck ahead of stablemate No Time. Cue the Duckboats coming in fourth.
“She relaxed really well for me today,” Nicholls said. “I always wanted to take her outside – she loves being on the outside. Once I got to the back and got to the three-eighths post, I saw a nice gap, and she just rolled neatly into it and got on with it.
“She just kind of walked quietly when she was in charge. Once she heard them coming back, she took off again.”
Trained by Jamie Begg, co-owner of (Begg Racing) with Windways Farm and Upland Flats Racing, the daughter of Mendelssohn out of the Speightstown mare Reluctant Bride is now 3-3-3 from 12 starts.
It was the sixth straight top three performance for the Chestnut, who recorded a half-length victory at 6 ½ furlongs on the Woodbine main track on September 7 and followed it up with a second, a half-length behind the winner, over a mile on the Toronto oval infield on September 21.
“I’ve always really liked this filly,” said Begg, who was celebrating his first win in the Woodbine stakes. “I thought she wanted two turns all the time. When horses do well, I like to run them. This point came up and it worked.”
Shotgun Wedding, bred in Kentucky by Deron Pearson and Patrick Biacone LLC, who finished third in last year’s Catch a Glimpse Stakes and fourth in this year’s Ruling Angel, paid $16.60 for today’s victory.
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