Passing Mood Preview: Silent Sonet the talk of the toteboard

Unraced as a two-year-old, Silent Sonet has won two of her three starts this season while earning $44,843 in purses for trainer Nick Gonzalez and owner Ivan Dalos.

"We had her in training as a baby and she just was a little immature and a little on the soft side and we were taking our time with her," said Gonzalez of the Silent Name-Dynasonet filly, who was a $25,548 purchase at the 2015 Canadian-Bred Yearling Sale. "She had a little bit of this and a little bit of that. By the time the fall came around, we just decided to stop on her because she was showing all kinds of good things as a baby and we were just going to wait for her to mature a little bit, which she did a lot, and here we are now. So we’re in a real good place with her. We’re happy where we’re at."

In between her May 20 Tapeta and July 8 turf winning sprints, Silent Sonet finished a credible fourth in her June 11 stakes debut, the $105,000 Alywow contested over 6-1/2 furlongs on Woodbine’s turf course.

"It was a lot to ask for a lightly raced filly like her that had only ran once and she didn’t get the greatest of rail trips that day," said Gonzalez. "She was kind of intimidated down there on the rail and she came within almost a length of winning that race. She ran kind of greenly and intimidated, but you could see she took that race fine when she came back and ran again. We’re just probably in a way better spot now that she’s had three starts and is a lot more mature than she was in her second [start] for sure."

Jockey Luis Contreras will retain the mount for Wednesday’s stakes showdown in which Silent Sonet is listed as the even-money favourite on the morning line. She will start from post two and face five other fillies, including this year’s Lady Angela Stakes champion Silver Princess, Ontario Damsel Stakes runner-up Greek Justice and third-place finisher Listenlindalisten, as well as Fresh Princess and Subzero Plus.

"She’s got better from start to start to start and the timing for the [Passing Mood] was perfect," said Gonzalez, commenting on his filly’s progress up to this point. "She won her last start on the turf kind of easy. This was just a real good fit for her being an Ontario-sired race, three-year-old fillies, and it looks like the distance is going to be just right too, seven furlongs, so we’re pretty darn happy where we’re at."

While future plans for Silent Sonet will depend on her performance on Wednesday night and post-race assessment, Gonzalez indicated the timing of the $125,000 La Prevoyante one-mile Ontario-sired turf event could also work out well for the filly’s next stakes engagement in September. For now, he is looking forward to the Passing Mood.

"We’re really optimist and looking forward to that race on Wednesday night and, actually, we just can’t wait!"

Wednesday’s eight-race program kicks off at 6:45 p.m., with the Passing Mood scheduled as Race 3.

1. Silver Princess – Rafael Hernandez – Roger Attfield

2. Silent Sonet – Luis Contreras – Nick Gonzalez

3. Fresh Princess – Patrick Husbands – Tony Gattellaro

4. Greek Justice – Jesse Campbell – Paul Buttigieg

5. Subzero Plus – Jerome Lermyte – Roger Attfield

6. Listenlindalisten – Eurico Rose da Silva – Mark Casse