Zabarta stood quietly in the morning light, ears pricked and eyes sharp, moments after completing her final breeze before the Shady Well Stakes. Trainer Bill Tharrenos leaned in and pressed a proud kiss onto the filly’s forehead, a gesture that spoke louder than any race-day prediction. Jockey Desean Bynoe, grinning from stirrup to stirrup, stood nearby as the team watched their rising star walk off the track with the calm swagger of a young athlete discovering her power. The stable crew erupted in applause, united in belief: this filly is something special.
The emotional scene sets the stage for Saturday’s $150,000 Shady Well Stakes at Woodbine, where Zabarta will attempt to secure her second consecutive stakes victory against eight rivals over six furlongs on the main track. The race for Ontario-bred or Ontario-sired 2-year-old fillies headlines a packed 12-race afternoon in Toronto.
Zabarta, a daughter of Abarta out of the Head Chopper mare Zazinga, arrives off a commanding seven-length triumph in the South Ocean Stakes on October 19. Last early and more than 10 lengths adrift through the opening quarter, she circled the field six-wide under Bynoe and surged clear with authority to stop the clock in 1:24.61.
“She is starting to respect the rider and have a lot of patience,” Tharrenos said, recalling the decisive move that lit up the grandstand. “When you ask her to go, she puts it in another gear.”
The win marked the first stakes victory for owner Tara Horse Farm (nom du course of Thomas Knizat), Bynoe’s first career stakes success, and the third of the season for Tharrenos — his personal best. The trainer barely finished speaking before a smile returned to his face.
“We are not done yet, I will tell you that,” he said. “I’m happy for everyone — Thomas, Desean, and the horse.”
Zabarta enters the Shady Well Stakes on a two-race roll, having broken her maiden just nine days before her South Ocean triumph with a dominant 6½-length win over the same surface. Bred by Cyril Simek, she began her campaign in late August with an eighth-place effort and followed it with a fourth on September 11 as pieces gradually clicked into place.
“I see her maturing and respecting her training program better, instead of being so anxious,” said Tharrenos. “She is starting to settle and finish up her gallops very nicely. I am very, very happy with her. I think she is better as we are moving along and I am excited about this race.”
Her November 15 breeze only added to the confidence. She zipped four furlongs in :47.60, continuing through five-eighths in a minute flat with ease.
“It was absolutely incredible,” said the trainer. “The further she went, the better and stronger she got. She came back and never took a deep breath — that is what I really liked.”
Zabarta may not be imposing in appearance, but her athleticism has earned deep admiration inside the barn.
“She is not a big or robust filly,” Tharrenos added. “It’s not something where you would walk by and she would stand out to you, but she stands out to me every morning around three or four, looking for her candies and giving me that look that says, ‘It’s time to play. Let’s go.’”
Carlton White is the groom.
Saturday’s race recalls a storied history. The stakes is named in honour of Shady Well, a daughter of Purple Shade who won 15 races from 68 career starts and famously captured three straight Durham Cup Handicap runnings, while Pink Velvet won the inaugural edition in 1956.
Field for the Shady Well Stakes – Race 10
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Bossy Candy – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse
2 – Pageant Queen – Fraser Aebly – Jamie Begg
3 – Splash of Bourbon – Ryan Munger – Sid Attard
4 – Gray Dee One – Slade Jones – Devon Gittens
5 – Sipping History – Keveh Nicholls – Jamie Begg
6 – Souper Diva – Jose Campos – Steven Chircop
7 – Souper Sporty – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Mike De Paulo
8 – Mathematical – Skye Chernetz – Dave Cotey
9 – Zabarta – Desean Bynoe – Bill Tharrenos
First post on Saturday is 12 p.m. at Woodbine.
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