TORONTO, April 25, 2019 – Global Access, who broke his maiden last October at Woodbine, will make a return engagement to the Toronto oval this Sunday for the $100,000 Wando Stakes. Bred and owned by Live Oak Plantation, the three-year-old son of Giant’s Causeway heads into the 1 1/16-mile Wando off an impressive score in the DRF Bets Sophomore Turf Stakes on March 31 at Tampa Bay Downs. Winless in three starts since his milestone moment at Woodbine for trainer Michael Trombetta, Global Access entered the race off a third in the March 9 Columbia Stakes, also at Tampa Bay. In the $115,000 added-money event contested at 1 1/16-mile on the grass, the Florida-bred rallied strongly to eke out a head score. “I had a lot of horse, but he’s still kind of like a little baby,” jockey Antonio Gallardo commented after the race. “He tried to lay on the horse inside him, which is kind of what happened last time. He wants to be in the clear, and once I got him there at the half-mile pole, I started to feel comfortable.” Global Access paid $9 to win as the fourth betting choice in an eight-horse field. After a seventh at Parx Racing last September to kick off his career, the chestnut headed to Woodbine, notching his maiden victory and then finishing third in the Display Stakes on December 8. Under Gary Boulanger, Global Access finished gamely to grab show honours. Global Access winning on October 31, 2018 at Woodbine Racetrack. (Michael Burns Photo) In six lifetime starts, the colt has two wins and a pair of thirds. Sunday’s feature is named after one of Canada’s most beloved champions. In 2003, Wando, trained by Mike Keogh, wowed the country from coast-to-coast, when the Gus Schickedanz silk bearer put his name in the history books by winning the Canadian Triple Crown. The late son of Langfuhr is the last horse to achieve the coveted three-race sweep. “It was kind of neat when they loaded him into the gate for the race and (Hall of Fame track announcer) Dan Loiselle said something like, ‘Here’s the favourite and the crowd loves him,’ and everyone started cheering,” recalled Keogh of the 2003 Breeders’ Stakes, final jewel in the Canadian Triple Crown Series. “I thought it was really good for horse racing. A lot of people came out to watch it.” Jockey Patrick Husbands, who guided Wando to Triple Crown glory, returns to racing action this weekend after time on the shelf due to injuries suffered in 2018. The Wando is slated as race seven on Sunday’s eight-race card. First post time is 1 p.m. Fans can watch and wager on all the action via HPIbet.com. $100,000 Wando Stakes Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer 1. Global Access – Antonio Gallardo – Michael Trombetta 2. Federal Law – Gary Boulanger – Mark Casse 3. Skywire – Eurico Rosa Da Silva – Mark Casse 4. Candy Crushem – Rafael Hernandez – Denyse McClachrie 5. Insider Trading – Kazushi Kimura – Ashlee Brnjas 6. Curlin Grey – Luis Contreras – Ravendra Raghunath Share This:Share
