TORONTO, July 19 – Meadow Rose, a four-year-old daughter of Ghostzapper, seeks her first added-money score in Saturday’s Grade 3 $125,000 Ontario Matron Stakes, at Woodbine. Supplemented to the 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares, three-years-old and upward, the bay, bred and owned by Stronach Stables, has finished second in three of her past four starts, including her latest effort on June 9 at Woodbine. Under Emma-Jayne Wilson, who’ll be aboard again in the Ontario Matron, Meadow Rose led by a length at the stretch call of the 1 1/16-mile race on the Toronto oval Tapeta, but was collared in deep stretch. “It’s been a bit of a frustrating year in trying to find races that will go,” said trainer Nick Gonzalez, of the lifetime winner of two races from 10 starts. “I almost put her in a race against the boys, but I was talking it over with (Stronach racing manager) Mike Doyle and we decided to supplement her here. She’s doing great.” Unraced at two, Meadow Rose won two of six starts in 2016, accompanied by one second. She contested two jewels of the Canadian Triple Tiara series, finishing fourth in the Bison City Stakes and eighth on the turf in the Wonder Where Stakes. Meadow Rose broke her maiden in her second start, a 1 ¾-length triumph at 1 1/16-miles on the Woodbine main track last June, one start prior to her Bison City engagement. The Ontario-bred closed out her three-year-old campaign with a victory at Woodbine on October 30. Meadow Rose kicked off her 2017 campaign with a trio of starts at Gulfstream Park, yielding a pair of second-place finishes and a fourth. “She’s one of our favourites,” said Gonzalez. “She’s a beauty. She’s a spoiled little girl and can be handful in the mornings, but we’ve been lucky enough to have her. She’s just a neat little horse. And she’s a trier. She’s not big, but she’s definitely gutsy.” A win by Meadow Rose would deliver Gonzalez his first Ontario Matron crown. Wilson orchestrated a third consecutive Ontario Matron score for trainer Sid Attard, when she teamed with Miss Concerto to take the 2006 running. The Ontario Matron has been carded as race eight on the program. First post is 1:00 p.m. FIELD FOR THE ONTARIO MATRON POST / HORSE / JOCKEY / TRAINER 1 / Ice Festival / David Moran / Sid Attard 2 / Moonlit Promise / Gary Boulanger / Josie Carroll 3 / Hot Kiss / Eurico Rosa da Silva / Mike DePaulo 4 / Galina Point / Patrick Husbands / Mark Casse 5 / Rattataptap / Jesse Campbell / Bill Mott 6 / Midnight Crossing / Alan Garcia / Roger Attfield 7 / Ami’s Mesa / Luis Contreras / Josie Carroll 8 / Meadow Rose / Emma-Jayne Wilson / Nick Gonzalez 9 / Uchenna / Patrick Husbands / Mark Casse 10/ Minks Aprise / Rafael Hernandez / Roger Attfield Share This:Share
