Pipit graduates in the Victoria under Patrick Husbands (Michael Burns)
Woodbine Communications
TORONTO— Pipit and jockey Patrick Husbands took the $125,000 Victoria Stakes for two-year-olds on Sunday at Woodbine in impressive fashion.
A late vet scratch of Got’s Got It left this field with only four runners for the five and half furlong contest.
Pipit was the only filly in the field, as trainer Kevin Attard made the choice to enter her into Saturday’s My Dear Stakes and Sunday’s Victoria Stakes.
After an even start, favourite Mattingly had the inside lead with Yacht Boy close behind. Ron Potts trained Going Up trailed five lengths behind in the third, and Pipit held fourth.
At the quarter, Going Up and Pipit closed the gap, as Pipit moved into third from the outside. It was then a battle between Mattingly, Pipit, and Going Up, with Yacht Boy a length behind in fourth. Down the stretch Pipit surged to the front from the outside, taking the win by 3 ½ lengths. Mattingly was second, Going Up third, and Yacht Boy fourth.
The final time was 1:03:60
Trainer Attard is familiar with having a filly beat the boys in a stakes race, with Horse of the Year Moira having accomplished the feat in last year’s Queen’s Plate. Pipit and Moira also share the ownership group of X Men Racing, Madaket Stables LLC and SF Racing LLC.
“I was a little disappointed with her first start, I thought she was good enough to win her first time out she kind of opened up a good lead and got loafing,” Attard explained. “We came back and experimented with the blinkers. I thought she breezed well, so I thought we would give it a go today.”
In his first time aboard the filly, jockey Patrick Husbands let Pipit get comfortable.
“She was a little bit confused with the blinkers, she was like ‘what is this on my face’ so it took about 10 strides to get her going, she got in the race, then I had to give her a breather so she could get a second wind and she just exploded.”
Pipit paid $5.60 to win.
Live racing resumes Thursday at Woodbine Racetrack. Post time is 4:50 p.m.
