Three-year-old trotting fillies trucked to Woodbine Racetrack on Monday to spar in a set of $20,000 elims for this year’s Celias Counsel Stakes
. Fifteen trotting lasses showed up, with the top five finishers from each of the eliminations earning a berth into next Monday evening’s final.
Misti Maiden went to the front and didn’t look back en route to a 1:59 score in the first elimination for the tandem of driver Jack Moiseyev and Frank Colville. Moiseyev rolled the daughter of Angus Hall-Meghans Misti to the quarter pole in :29.4 before stealing soft fractions of 1:01 and 1:30.1 in the middle stages of the mile. The filly used a :28.4 closing panel to win by three-quarters of a length over the hard-closing Momentous. Magical Paige finished third.
Sent off as the second choice in the wagering, Misti Maiden shed her maiden status with the win for the partnership of The Mo N Jo Stable, Peter Goldberg, Murray Goldberg and Michael Seidman.
Surveillance trotted home in 2:00 to take the other elimination in what was her pari-mutuel debut following a pair of qualifiers for trainer Bill James. Jody Jamieson was parked to the quarter pole and beyond before clearing to the lead and laying down middle splits of 1:00 and 1:30 with the daughter of Amigo Hall-Millie Wonka. She used a :30-second final quarter to win handily over Harlow Seelster and Nuriev Dream.
Surveillance, who was a $9,500 purchase from the 2009 March Madness Mixed Sale, is owned by W G James Stables Ltd of Blackstock, ON.
Here's how the fillies will line up behind the starting gate in next Monday's final:
$60,000 Celias Counsel Stakes Final
1. Sunday Dream
2. Musclemad
3. Surveillance
4. Misti Maiden
5. Momentous
6. Savanah Dream
7. Weslynn Legacy
8. Harlow Seelster
9. Magical Paige
10. Nuriev Dream
To view results for Monday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Monday Results – Woodbine Racetrack.