Race-favourite Hp Titania Runner ranged into competition from third over through the stretch and held off a late bid from Champagne Jane to take the $225,000 OSS Super Final for two-year-old filly trotters in 1:57.4.
Driver Louis Philippe-Roy placed the 2-1 choice seventh as Teddys Littleangel cleared command from Petro Hall through a :28.2 opening quarter. With no movement to the half in :57.4, Giving It All trotted slightly off the cones hesitant to commit first over from fourth. Cambridge Kate, from third, veered first over into the turn.
Cambridge Kate lost stride heading to three-quarters and left Presto Change O uncovered five lengths off of temposetter Teddys Littleangel through the 1:27.2 clip. The field gradually reeled in the leader curving into the stretch with Hp Titania Runner, from third over, sliding to the front in the final eighth. Champagne Jane angled from the pylons to the center of the track to pursue the leader but settle for second ahead of Presto Change O in third and Blue Magic taking fourth.
“The trick is to keep her relaxed,” Roy said after the race. “I don’t know if I can leave with her but I was happy to get the cover from Sylvain [Filion on Presto Change O]. We were a bit far heading around the last turn but I had so much confidence that I knew she could overcome those lengths.”
A filly by E L Titan, Hp Titania Runner won her fourth race in eight starts, earning $248,650 for owners Cluade Hamel and Michel Damphousse. Rene Bourassa trains the $6.10 winner.
Her win in the OSS Super Final was also her second start with trotting hopples, which followed a patch of races in the middle of the season where the E L Titan filly could not keep stride.
“Earlier in the season she didn’t have the hopples but she didn’t have to go that kind of speed.,” Roy said. “When she started to need to go a little faster, she kind of needed those hopples to make sure she was keeping her gait. That’s way we had a little bit of bad luck over the season and I think that it tied up the season pretty good that way.”