Aristella wonderful in Wonder Where

TORONTO, September 6, 2025 – Aristella, under a perfect ride from Rafael Hernandez, rallied to win the $250,000 Wonder Where Stakes, the third leg of the Canadian Triple Tiara, Saturday at Woodbine.

In the days leading up to the 1 1/16-mile inner turf race for Canadian-foaled 3-year-old fillies, trainer Rachel Halden spoke glowingly about how well Aristella was coming into the race.

The multiple graded stakes-winning conditioner offered more praise in the winner’s circle following the victory.

It was the Mark Casse-trained trio of Winterberry, No Time and Shifty who held first, second, and third, respectively, in the early going, while Hernandez was content to settle Aristella into fourth in the five-horse field through an opening panel of :23.39.

Winterberry, winner of the Bison City Stakes, second jewel in the Canadian Triple Tiara, held a one-length advantage over stablemate Shifty through a half in :47.28, followed by No Time, who won the first jewel of the series, the Woodbine Oaks, Aristella, and late-running Scat Girl.

Heading into the turn for home, Shifty ratcheted up the pressure on Winterberry, as Hernandez, who had positioned Aristella along the rail, moved his charge five-wide, ready to take aim at her rivals.

Aristella continued to make headway on the pacesetters and powered by her foes around the sixteenth pole en route to a 1 ¼-length score. Scat Girl, making her second stakes appearance and riding a two-race win streak, finished second, a half-length ahead of Shifty. Winterberry was fourth and No Time fifth.

The final time over firm ground was 1:42.36.

“Rachel told me that she’s been working unbelievable on the turf,” said Hernandez. “I never got on her on the turf the morning… you can see today she was great.”

Halden was understandably delighted by the result.

“I felt good about going into it today. It’s just… it’s great.”

A daughter of More Than Ready out of the unraced Street Cry (IRE) mare Back to Love, Aristella, who won last year’s Princess Elizabeth Stakes, came into her seventh straight stakes engagement off a third in the Bison City.

“We’ve run in every race of the Triple Tiara,” noted Halden. “I don’t think she fired (seventh) in the Oaks. She came out of that, and she seemed to recover from it well, and doing okay. So, we took on the Bison City, which I think was a good effort.

“Then we thought we really don’t want to take on the Casse trio again, but after the way she’s worked on the turf the last two works, and I started looking back at her form, I’m thinking, she came around for me in the fall last year and did some of her best running.”

Owned by Flying Zee Racing Stables LLC, the bay debuted with an off-the-board finish on the Saratoga inner turf last July, and was fifth in her next start, a 1 1/16-mile race over the E.P. Taylor turf at Woodbine that September.

Aristella broke her maiden in her third appearance, a 1 ¾-length score over a mile and 70 yards on the Woodbine main track last October.

Bred by Peter A. Berglar Racing Interests, LLC & Anderson Farms (Ontario), Aristella was a $70,000 (U.S.) purchase at the 2023 Keeneland Association September Yearling Sale. ​

Adrian Harewood is the groom.

Now 3-0-1 from 10 starts, Aristella paid $17.80 for the win. ​ ​

Chris Lomon, Woodbine