Trotting Filly Dreams Of 'Gold' Success

Published: July 28, 2009 08:53 pm EDT

With reigning Gold Final champion Elusive Desire carrying the Ontario flag to New Jersey this weekend, a number of Grassroots fillies have opted to make the leap into Gold Series competition at Mohawk Racetrack on Friday

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Ted MacDonnell is taking full advantage of the division heavyweight’s absence, securing her regular driver Paul MacDonell for his first time Gold starter Lindy Of My Dreams. Guelph resident MacDonell will steer Lindy Of My Dreams from Post 5 in the first of two $40,000 Gold Eliminations.

“I have him for this week any way,” says trainer MacDonnell, who gave the reinsman a test run in an overnight event at Mohawk on July 10.

Lindy Of My Dreams and MacDonell delivered a runner-up finish in the July 10 overnight, reaching the wire three-quarters of a length behind the winner in 1:56.3. The mile did not come as a surprise to her trainer, who had been impressed with the late surge of power she demonstrated winning a July 2 Grassroots event at Hiawatha Horse Park in 2:00.1.

“She has been making great improvements,” says MacDonnell, who conditions the Angus Hall miss for owner-breeder Lindy Racing Stable of Enfield, CT. “That mile (July 10) didn’t surprise me. She got a good trip in Sarnia, but when she popped off cover she had a lot of go to her. And I certainly think she can go more.”

The half-sister to $616,257 winner Dream Vacation arrived in MacDonnell’s Allenford stable in late June, after making two starts at Vernon Downs and one at Yonkers Raceway for US-based trainer Frank Antonacci, Jr. MacDonnell says the filly shipped into Ontario ready to race and has been effortless to manage.

“All I’ve done is baby-sit her,” says the horseman. “She was all set up to go when I received her. She’s not a big robust filly, but she has a lot of class. She’s like all good fillies, she has some attitude to her, she’s not a play toy by any means. She’s intelligent, and smart, and very professional on the track.”

Although Lindy Of My Dreams was eligible for the Canadian Breeders Championship at Mohawk in mid-July, MacDonnell and her owners opted to skip that race in favour of Friday’s Gold Elimination. If she holds her own against Ontario’s finest this week, the filly also has the Standardbred Breeders of Ontario (SBOA) Stake on her calendar in mid-August.

“Obviously we would really like to qualify for the Gold Final (Aug. 7), and if she could do that, then she has the SBOA,” notes MacDonnell. “And we are fortunate that we can drop back to the Grassroots if we have to.”

With a three week gap between Friday’s Gold Elimination and the filly’s last start, MacDonnell has intensified her training regimen and was pleased with the way Lindy Of My Dreams responded.

“She has trained well coming in to this, so hopefully she will keep improving for us,” says the veteran horseman. “I trained her up very tough on Friday, and she trained really good. Then I blew her out just lightly today (Tuesday).”

Among the fillies that Paul MacDonell and Lindy Of My Dreams will face in Friday’s third race is one other youngster making the leap up from the Grassroots level. Skyla and driver Jacques Hebert will start from Post 2. The rest of the horses in the field are seasoned Gold Series players, including Canadian Breeders Championship runner-up Friendly Amigo, who start from Post 3 for trainer Blair Burgess of Campbellville.

The other $40,000 Gold Elimination is slated for Race 6 on Mohawk Racetrack’s Friday evening program, which gets under way at 7:30 p.m.

(OSS)

To view Friday’s harness racing entries, click here.

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