Enstone notches her first stakes score in Fury

Trained by Mark Casse and patiently piloted by Patrick Husbands, Enstone, notching her first stakes score, was making her three-year-old debut in the seven-furlong Tapeta sprint, after finishing second in the Princess Elizabeth Stakes in November to close out her rookie campaign.

Sent to post at odds of 8-5, Enstone raced from second spot on the outside of pacesetter Goldrush Glory, who took the field through opening splits of of :23.87 and :47.27. As the field turned for home, Husbands gave Enstone the cue and the pair surged to the lead, drawing away impressively for a comfortable 2 ¾-length triumph. Financial Recovery took second by a neck over another closer, Mythical Mission. Enstone covered seven panels in 1:23.31.

Husbands, who delivered Hall of Fame conditioner Mark Casse his third consecutive win on the card, gave full marks to his filly.

"I had a nice trip,” said Husbands. “She’s a horse that likes to close the engine, so I really didn’t want to take away anything from her. But she was happy down the backside.”

Enstone was emphatic down the lane.

“This filly, she has a very high cruising speed,” offered the veteran jockey. “In all my years of experience, you don’t want to disappoint a filly like that. She’s a router and she’s aggressive.”

The versatile daughter of Tiznow stamped herself as a solid contender for the 1 1/8-mile $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser, set for June 11 at Woodbine. 

"It looks like she only wants to go longer,” said assistant trainer Kathryn Sullivan. “She ran a great race today and Patrick rode a great race. Hopefully, she comes out of the race well and we’ll just keep going.”

Councillor Michael Ford made the trophy presentation.

Enstone, bred in Ontario by Bill Graham, banked $75,000 in victory while improving her record to 2-3-0 from seven starts. She made her debut last May at Woodbine, finishing fourth. Her first win was a 7 ¼-length romp over 1 1/16 miles on the Woodbine main track in late October. 

She paid $5.50, $3.50 and $2.40, combining with Financial Recovery ($12, $7.20) for an $86.20 (6-1) exactor. A 6-1-2 triactor (Mythical Mission, $3.10 to show) was worth $318.10. A $1 Superfecta (Ghostly Presence) returned $799.20.