Aristella takes to the turf for Wonder Where
At 0h03, on September 5, 2025 • By Chris Lomon, Woodbine
This year’s edition of the Canadian Triple Tiara concludes with Saturday’s running of the $250,000 Wonder Where Stakes, at Woodbine.
Set for 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf, the race for 3-year-old fillies foaled in Canada drew five starters, including stakes-winning Aristella.
No Time, trained by Mark Casse for owner Gary Barber, captured the first leg of the Canadian Triple Tiara, the Woodbine Oaks Presented by Stella Artois, on July 20. Her stablemate, Winterberry, also trained by Casse for D.J. Stable LLC, followed up with a victory in the second leg, the Bison City Stakes, on August 9. Both will contest the Wonder Where.
Trained by Rachel Halden, Aristella, a daughter of More Than Ready out of the unraced Street Cry (IRE) mare Back to Love, heads into her seventh straight stakes engagement off a third in the Bison City.
“She is doing very well,” said Halden, of the filly who recorded her first stakes win in the $250,000 Princess Elizabeth, a main track race for Canadian-foaled 2-year-old fillies, last November. “She didn’t fire in the Woodbine Oaks (seventh) and didn’t run her race. But I thought it was a very good effort in the Bison City.”
Sporting a 2-1-0 mark from nine starts, Aristella broke her maiden in her third appearance, a 1 ¾-length score over a mile and 70 yards on the Woodbine main track on October 5,
Owned by Flying Zee Racing Stables LLC, the bay will test the turf for the third time in her career.
Aristella debuted with an off-the-board finish over the Saratoga inner turf on July 21, 2024, and was fifth in her next start, a 1 1/16-mile race over the E.P. Taylor turf at Woodbine on September 14.
After finding a seam late in the latter effort, Aristella produced a strong finishing kick.
“Once she found some daylight, she came with a nice run,” said Halden.
Aristella breezed four furlongs twice over the turf training track, on August 24 and August 31, both in :47.80, in preparation for the Wonder Where.
Halden, a multiple graded stakes winner, was pleased with both moves.
“She has worked extremely well, and she seems to be in a very good place right now. So, we are going to give this a chance. The hope is that she can build off that last race and move forward. Based on the last race and how she has been working, she definitely deserves the opportunity to be here.”
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.
First post on Saturday’s 11-race card is 1:05 p.m.
