Persistence delivered a long-awaited triumph for the camp behind Sonador, as the three-year-old chestnut filly shed her maiden tag with a victory in the Bert By Jo Trophy event at Caymanas Park on Saturday, September 5, 2026.
Conditioned by Stedman Curtis for owner Boss Baby and piloted by former champion jockey Dane Dawkins, the filly visited the winner’s enclosure on her tenth try, taking the native-bred three-year-old maiden special weight contest over 4 furlongs by three-quarters of a length.
Entering the clash following a string of three consecutive runner-up finishes, Sonador broke alertly from the stalls to establish an early, narrow advantage, closely pursued by Hendrix (Emelio McLean), Kamiak (Eric Haughton), and Pickleball (Bebeto Harvey).
Dawkins asked his mount for a maximum effort as they crossed the dummy rails onto the main track, opening up a crucial lead. Despite tiring slightly in the closing 100 meters, Sonador dug deep to stave off the late-closing charge of Pickleball, with Hendrix rounding out the top three.
The winning filly covered the short dash in 48.3 seconds, following fractional times of 23.4 and 35.3.
