Oct 18, 2024 (Woodbine) – BrenGunGirl, trained by Kevin Attard for Canuck Racing Club, looks to build off a strong debut in Sunday’s $100,000 South Ocean, for Ontario-sired 2-year-old fillies, at Woodbine. Sired by Point of Entry out of the Silent Name (JPN) mare Silent Sister, the filly made her career bow on Sept. 28, in a 5 ½-furlong main track race.
BrenGunGirl, with Rafael Hernandez in the irons, broke outward from the outside post nine at the start but regrouped to reel in rivals at the seven-sixteenths pole before drawing off for a 4 ¼-length score in a time of 1:05.27 as the 2-1 choice. “When you draw the outside post with a young horse, they tend to break to the outside,” said Attard, who is three wins shy of 800 entering Thursday’s Woodbine card. “She showed a lot of maturity in quickly getting back into the thick of it. Rafael did a great job, didn’t panic, and they went on from there. I thought it was a very nice performance, especially down the lane.”
Acquired at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $52,000 (U.S.), BrenGunGirl was bred by Adena Springs. Attard was immediately impressed by the bay.
“She has a presence about her. I think the one thing that comes to mind is her eagerness and ability to learn whatever comes her way. She’s all business, in the mornings and afternoons, which is what any trainer loves to see. We think she has a bright future.”
As noted on the Canuck Racing Club website, the filly was named after Canada’s first genuine tabloid celebrity, who would become one of the country’s most unique and intriguing cultural icons. Veronica Foster, popularly known as “Ronnie, the Bren Gun Girl,” represented nearly one million Canadian women who stepped up to work in the manufacturing plants when Canada’s men left to fight in WWII.
In 2000, Canada Post commemorated her influence with the creation of a stamp line featuring Foster.