Photo:
Rebecca Gullett / Eclipse Sportswire
Possiblemente rallied gamely in the stretch to earn his first graded win in the Grade 3, $150,000 Jacques Cartier Stakes Saturday at Woodbine.
Trained by Joe Sharp and ridden by Eswan Flores, the 6-year-old gelded son of Tale of Ekati (Internal Bourbon by Not Bourbon) broke cleanly and settled into fourth early. Western Whirl, one of two Chiefswood Stables entrants, led Kentucky invader Its Bourbon Thirty into the bend in an opening quarter-mile of 22.31 seconds.
Around the turn, Possiblemente emerged from the second flight with recent Thorncliffe Stakes winner G T Five Hundred, under Rafael Hernandez, to his outside and Playmea Tune, the other Chiefswood entrant, to his inside.
With Fraser Aebly up, Western Whirl turned for home, showing the way in a half-mile time of 45.4 seconds. Aebly, sensing the looming danger, sneaked a peek back at his pursuers.
Flores tipped his chestnut outside for a clear run and, now in full flow, rolled past Western Whirl to win the six-furlong sprint for 4-year-olds and up in 1:10.01. The five-furlong split was 57.31 seconds.
But it was the deft handling by Flores inside the quarter pole that proved key to victory.
“I think Raffi knows his horse too. I think he was trying to keep me in the outside as much as possible, but I found a way to relax him and find myself in the inside, save a little bit of ground in the turn,” said Flores.
Flores was reunited with Possiblemente after guiding the Charles Fipke-bred to respective sixth- and fourth-place finishes in a pair of local optional claiming route races last summer. Formerly conditioned by Martin Drexler, the gelding returned to sprinting under Sharp’s care and reeled off back-to-back wins at Turfway Park during the winter, the second earning a career-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form.
In his last start, Possiblemente stepped up without Lasix to face graded company in the Turf Sprint (G2) at Churchill Downs and closed well to finish fifth with a strong gallop out.
“I got to give all the credit to Joe, bringing and shoring this horse up. I think that was one of the best things anybody could have done to this horse. Joe’s training just puts two and two together,” said Flores.
Owned by T and E Racing and bred in Kentucky by Canadian Charles Fipke, the chestnut returned to Lasix and collected his 10th career win and third in his last four starts.
Possiblemente, listed at 4-1 on the morning line, went to post at odds of 7-2. The $2 win return was $10.90.
Lithe Spirit, the only female in the seven-horse field, rallied strongly outside to complete the exacta. The Chiefswood duo of Western Whirl and Playmea Tune finished third and fourth. So Delicious was scratched.
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