Hope For Paddy left her fellow Ontario-sired filly pacers in the dust as she opened up an eight-length lead down the stretch to ensure her victory in the $56,200 Ontario Prep Series Final during Sunday night's card at Flamboro Downs, which also featured three eliminations for the colts
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Eyemajet (Anthony MacDonald) fired to command from post seven in the field of top nine money earners from last week's elimination round and quickly opened up three lengths early on. She reached the opening quarter in :27.4, at which point Billy Davis Jr. made his move with Hope For Paddy.
Davis Jr. and the Mach Three-Hope For Life miss advanced first over through a :56.2 half and took over the top spot just before the 1:24.4 third quarter station. Hope For Paddy began to draw off into the stretch and by the time she hit the wire in 1:55 flat she had eight and a quarter lengths on her nearest rival.
Village Bound (Scott Coulter) was shuffled to third when Hope For Paddy made her move, but advanced back into the two-hole around the final turn and held off Eyemajet to place despite suffering broken equipment.
Hope For Paddy paid $2.70 to win. The Shawn Robinson trainee, who only made one start as a freshman, now boasts eight wins and one second, along with two fourths in Woodbine Racetrack's Blossom Series, from 12 starts. She has banked $99,350 to date for CMR Farms Hagersville, Ont.
The three $10,000 Ontario Prep Series eliminations for pacing colts were won by Mississippi Hippy, Machal Angelo, and Tye Seelster.
Driven by Jack Moiseyev, early trailer Mississippi Hippy rallied from off the pace to prevail for the first time in four starts over pocket-sitter Smokin Bear (Aaron Byron) and pacesetter Lyons Josephjnr (Sylvain Filion) by a quarter length in 1:55. The homebred Mach Three-Maddies Bunny gelding is trained by Frank Coville and owned by High Stakes Inc. and Emma Christoforou of Moffat, Ont. The 3-1 third choice paid $8.40 to win.
Machal Angelo advanced from third after the half and pushed ahead of the popular pacesetter and eventual third place finisher The Unsub (Lyle MacArthur) into the stretch en route to a one length victory in 1:57.1. Giddy Up Blackfly (Billy Davis Jr.) came in second. Joe Pereira trains the Mach Three-Island Hussy gelding for The Merks Stable of New York. He paid $5.90 as the 2-1 second fave. An Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots division winner last year, the victory was Machal Angelo's second in 11 outings.
The Jody Jamieson-driven Tye Seelster was a wire-to-wire winner in the final elimination for owner-trainer Victor Hayter of Stratford, Ont. The Camluck-The Patriot colt held off the first over attacker, Hidden Potential (Scott Coulter), by half a length in 1:55.3 for his fourth win in 10 lifetime starts. Second over Machs Beach Boy (Jason Brewer) finished over three lengths back in third. The favourite paid $2.60 to win. Among his other wins are a Kawartha Downs track record equalling 1:53 score in an OSS Grassroots division at two and a leg of the Youthful Series at Woodbine in March.
The Ontario Prep Series is for three-year-old Ontario sired pacers and trotters that are non-winners of $40,000 in 2011. The $50,000 (added) final for the pacing colts will take place next Sunday, April 29. Eliminations for filly trotters will take place on Wednesday, May 2 with the trotting colts taking to the track last in Sunday, May 6 eliminations. Both finals will take place one week after each elimination round.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Flamboro Downs.