Casie Coleman’s level of satisfaction with the eight-hole Primary Purpose drew for this Sunday’s $130,000 Gold Final is a reflection of the rotten post position luck the three-year-old pacer has had in every final since mid-May

.

“The eight-hole is pretty good for him in a final. I was actually happy with it,” says Coleman with a wry chuckle.

The first race Primary Purpose won under Coleman’s tutelage was an elimination for the Upper Canada Cup at Georgian Downs on May 16. The Cammibest gelding logged a 1:54 personal best with the effort and looked to be among the favourites for the $480,000 final, until he drew the outside Post 9. The pacer delivered a gritty first over effort, but was caught in the cavalry charge to the wire and had to settle for third.

In his Gold Series debut at Rideau Carleton Raceway on May 31 Primary Purpose waltzed to a four length victory, then landed the outside Post 8 for the final and finished out of the money for the first time in his career. Coleman dropped the gelding into a June 26 qualifier at Flamboro Downs hoping to restore his bravery — Primary Purpose cruised home 10 lengths on top in 1:56.3 — and then sent him back into the Gold Series fray at Georgian Downs.

Controlling the pace in his July 4 elimination, in spite of starting from Post 7, Primary Purpose peeled almost three seconds off his personal best with a 1:51.1 victory. The pacer landed Post 7 again for the final and gave up the lead in the stretch to OK Boromir.

“The only time he’s ever been beat on the front end was in the Gold Final at Georgian Downs,” reflects Coleman, who conditions Primary Purpose for breeder Rod Therres of Surrey, BC and his partner Charles MacFarlane of Victoria, BC. “And he got very sick after that race. He had a high fever and a rash all over his body. I don’t know what it was; it almost looked like hives or something. It was all under his chest and down his back legs. He was very sick there for a while.”

Last Sunday’s Gold Elimination was the gelding’s first start since the July 11 final at Georgian Downs, and Coleman was delighted to see him bounce back and deliver a sharp 1:51.2 victory.

“He raced absolutely awesome in the elimination,” says the Cambridge resident. “I couldn’t be happier with him.”

In preparation for this week’s Gold Final, Coleman will put Primary Purpose through an easy workout on Thursday and then cross her fingers that driver Mark MacDonald can manoeuvre his way to a top finish from Post 8.

“He’ll train a single trip in 2:25 tomorrow (Thursday) morning,” says the conditioner. “Last week I was a little harder on him because he’d been off three weeks, but off that mile the other day with a big back half he’ll be plenty tight.”

Among the colts starting on Primary Purpose’s left in Sunday’s final are elimination winner Shipps Xpectancy and both colts who have already collected a Gold Final trophy this season. OK Boromir starts from Post 2, Shipps Xpectancy gets Post 5 and Fast Pay will be in the hunt from Post 7. Lyons Horace, an elimination winner last week and this year’s Canadian Breeders champion, will start to MacDonald and Primary Purpose’s right, from Post 9.

In addition to the three-year-old pacing colt Gold Final, Mohawk Racetrack fans will also be treated to Gold Elimination action from the two-year-old pacing fillies.

Coleman will harness Western Silk from Post 6 in the first $40,000 elimination, sending the Western Terror daughter into battle off a pair of qualifiers, a Grassroots victory over Kawartha Downs on July 18, and third in overnight action at Mohawk on Aug. 3.

“She’s one of those, when she’s going slow she’s half galloping or cantering in the hopples, but as soon as you spin her and go a mile, she’s flawless,” says Coleman, who shares ownership on the filly with Tom Hill of Lancashire, GB. “She’s a nice, nice filly. I’m looking forward to a summer of racing her.”

Purchased for $50,000 at last fall’s Harrisburg Yearling Sale, Western Silk did not always rank so highly in her trainer’s esteem.

“It took about a month to get her gaited, she didn’t want to pace,” recalls Coleman. “But since then she’s been perfect.”

MacDonald will also steer Western Silk, looking for a top five finish to secure a return invitation to Mohawk for the Aug. 16 Gold Final, the second of five on the freshman pacing filly calendar this season.

The two-year-old pacing fillies square off in Races 5 and 9 on Sunday, while the deeply talented three-year-old pacing colt Gold Final goes postward as Race 8. Mohawk Racetrack kicks off its Sunday evening harness racing excitement at 7:30 pm.

For complete entries, click here.

(OSS)