Last week’s Gold Elimination victory at Rideau Carleton Raceway may have been her first this season, but trainer Benoit Baillargeon says he has been sweet on two-year-old trotting filly Oh Sweet Baby since

the moment she arrived in his barn last March.

“She was meant to be one of the best right from the start,” says the horseman, who will send Oh Sweet Baby after a Gold Final title at Rideau Carleton on Friday night. “She trained good all winter. She was perfect.”

Unfortunately Oh Sweet Baby’s season got off to a rocky start when she made breaks in her first two starts, after laying down three flawless qualifiers. In the Gold Series season opener on July 16 the Angus Hall daughter made a break at the halfway marker over the Flamboro Downs half-miler, and in the Aug. 2 Gold Elimination at Mohawk Racetrack she made a break behind the starting gate.

There was no obvious explanation for either miscue and Baillargeon opted not to waste any more of the season pondering the reasons why. On Aug. 6 Oh Sweet Baby re-qualified sporting a pair of trotting hopples and things have been smooth sailing ever since.

“It’s still a mystery,” says Baillargeon of the filly’s early errors. “But we’ve got all the bells ringing now. I expect a big end of the season for her. She’s a real nice filly.”

Since the addition of trotting hopples to her equipment list Oh Sweet Baby has scored one win, two seconds, one third and one fourth. She finished second in her Aug. 19 Gold Elimination at Mohawk and third in the Gold Final one week later, then came fourth against some of North America’s best freshman trotting lasses in a Sept. 2 division of the Champlain Stakes.

Back at Mohawk for the Sept. 9 eliminations for the Peaceful Way Stakes Oh Sweet Baby finished second, and then delivered a sixth-place effort from the outside Post 10 in the $466,000 final. Last week’s 1:59.2 score in the elimination round earned her a spot in this Friday’s $130,000 Gold Final, where she and regular driver Mario Baillargeon will start from the trailing Post 9.

“Mario doesn’t seem to think it will be a problem,” says the trainer of the filly’s trailing post. “The one horse, Pretty Crafty, if you look at her lines, she always leaves in :28 or :29, so I am happy with that.”

Baillargeon conditions Oh Sweet Baby for Richard Berthiaume of Pointe-Aux-Trembles, QC, who offered up $35,000 for the filly at last fall’s Harrisburg Yearling Sale. Through her first eight start the youngster has returned $61,030, and she has still has several major stakes events remaining on her calendar.

“She has the rest of the Sires Stakes and she’s also eligible to the ($616,000) Goldsmith Maid, after the next Gold,” notes Baillargeon. “We’ll decide if we go, as she goes. If she stays the way she is right now, we’re definitely going to go, but I won’t compromise the ($300,000) Super Final. If I think she needs the extra two weeks for the Super Final, then we’ll skip the Goldsmith Maid.”

The veteran conditioner says that Oh Sweet Baby’s healthy appetite and easy going attitude are working in her favour as the end of the season draws into view.

“She’s a well mannered mare, she’s relaxed, she’s easy on herself,” he explains. “Stress — she don’t know what it’s all about, and that’s good.”

Baillargeon adds that the filly’s nickname is “Bully”, but not because the long legged youngster likes to push people around.

“Her nickname is Bully, just because she loves to do her work. She’s very nice on the racetrack,” says the horseman.

Oh Sweet Baby will square off against her Gold Series peers in the sixth race on Rideau Carleton Raceway’s Friday evening program of harness racing. The other elimination winner, My Whispering Eye, gets Post 5 and two-time Gold Final champion Extraordinaire gets the outside Post 8. Post time for the first race is 6:30 pm.

For Friday's entries, click here.

(OSS)