Zabarta zips into Shady Well in red-hot form
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TORONTO, November 19, 2025 – Zabarta chases her second straight stakes success when she takes on eight rivals in Saturday’s $150,000 Shady Well at Woodbine.
Set for six furlongs over the main track, the Shady Well, for Ontario-bred or Ontario-sired 2-year-old fillies, highlights the 12-race card.
Zabarta, a daughter of Abarta out of the Head Chopper mare Zazinga, arrives at the Shady Well off a head-turning seven-length score in the South Ocean Stakes on October 19.
Sent off at 13-1, the chestnut filly was last of eight, 10 lengths off the leader, through the opening quarter in the seven-furlong main track event for Ontario-sired 2-year-old fillies.
Positioned six-wide in upper stretch, Zabarta, under Desean Bynoe, swept to the front in mid-stretch and powered home a no-doubt winner in a time of 1:24.61.
“She is starting to respect the rider and have a lot of patience,” said trainer Bill Tharrenos. “When you ask her to go, she puts it in another gear.”
The South Ocean victory gave Zabarta and owner Tara Horse Farm, nom du course of Thomas Knizat, its first stakes success, Tharrenos his third on the campaign, a personal-best mark for the conditioner, and Bynoe his first stakes win.
“We are not done yet, I will tell you that,” said Tharrenos. “I’m happy for everyone, Thomas, Desean and the horse.”
It was the second straight win for Zabarta, who had broken her maiden nine days earlier courtesy of a 6 ½-length triumph over six panels on the Woodbine track.
After an eighth over five furlongs at the Toronto oval on August 22 to launch her career, Zabarta, bred by Cyril Simek, was fourth in a seven-furlong race over the main track on September 11.
“I see her maturing and that she is respecting her training program a little 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.”
Zabarta breezed four furlongs in :47.60 over the main track on November 15.
“It was absolutely incredible,” said Tharrenos. “What I mean by that is that we broke off the pole nice and easy, :12 and change the first eighth, and then we started turning it on. She went that :47 and change and her five-eighths was a minute flat, which was even better. 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.
“She is not a big or robust filly. She is a very athletic filly. 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.
A daughter of Purple Shade out of the By Viceroy (IRE) mare The Wishing Well, Shady Well was 15-11-11 from 68 career starts, which included three consecutive Durham Cup Handicap victories. Pink Velvet won the inaugural running of the Shady Well in 1956.
The wagering menu for the race includes Rolling Double, Exacta, 0.20 Trifecta, 0.20 Superfecta, 0.20 Pick 3 (Races 10-11-12) and $1 Swinger.
First post is 12 p.m. Fans can wager on all the action with HPIbet.com and bet365.
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
Chris Lomon, Woodbine
