When driver Rick Zeron guided Peach Martini to a Gold Final victory from Post 10 on Monday night, the task before Monkey On My Wheel in Friday’s $130,000 test at Woodbine Racetrack started to look slightly less daunting

to trainer Travis Umphrey.

“I was telling her caretaker this morning, it looks a little better now that Rick’s won one out of the 10-hole already,” says the Guelph, ON resident with a wry chuckle.

Zeron and Monkey On My Wheel will be behind the number 10 when the Woodbine starting gate roars away from the talented field of two-year-old pacing fillies in Friday night’s Gold Final. Both elimination winners — Modern Connection and Imagine Semalu — as well as reigning Gold Final champion Lauren will be well to their left, so Umphrey is hoping the field rings up some sharp early fractions that will benefit his come from behind specialist.

“It will be tough in there, all the good ones are inside,” says the horseman, who shares ownership of Monkey On My Wheel with breeder Mac Nichol of Burlington, ON. “There may be some early fractions to chase, but she’s got a lot of work cut out for her.”

Since her arrival on the Gold Series scene in mid-September, Monkey On My Wheel has amassed an impressive record of one win and one second in Gold Final competition and one win and one second in Gold Elimination action. She finished second to Imagine Semalu in last week’s elimination at Mohawk Racetrack, crossing under the wire one and three-quarter lengths behind the winner in the 1:54.2 mile.

“It should be a great race, there’s so many good fillies in there,” says Umphrey of Friday’s final. “It will come down to whoever has the better trip.”

Friday night’s contest concludes the two-year-old pacing fillies’ regular season, and with her impressive record Monkey On My Wheel has already locked up a berth in the Nov. 13 Super Final. Between Friday’s test and the $300,000 Super Final, Umphrey says the daughter of Mach Three-Legislation will get a well earned rest, and possibly one prep race.

“She’ll go right from here to the Super Final. This is her sixth start in a row, six weeks in a row, so she’ll need a bit of a break,” he explains. “We’ll give her a week off, and I still haven’t decided if I’ll race her the week before the Super Final. We’ll see how things go.”

Unlike Monkey On My Wheel, Lady Jill earned her first Gold Series points with a third-place finish in last week’s Elimination, so trainer Jeff Gillis is simply hoping that the half-sister to $270,722 winner Plumbing Princess comes up with another strong effort.

“We were happy with her. The owners had high expectations, I think, off the start for her. She paced in 1:54 in her first start, but since then she’s kind of been so-so,” notes the Hillsburgh, ON resident who harnessed the filly for the first time last Friday. “So we were happy with that effort.”

Banjo Farms of Toronto, ON bred and own the daughter of Camluck and Alliwannabe, who was four lengths behind winner Modern Connection in last week’s 1:53.3 elimination. The filly and driver Chris Christoforou will start from Post 4 in Friday’s fifth race, matching early strides with two-time Gold Final champ Lauren, who gets Post 3.

Elimination winners Modern Connection and Imagine Semalu will start from Posts 2 and 7, respectively, in the Gold Final. Modern Connection will be looking to maintain her flawless record in Gold Series action. The Joe Seekman trainee swept the season opener at Grand River Raceway in July before skipping the next three events in favour of open stake races.

Post time for Woodbine Racetrack’s Friday evening program is 7:30 p.m., and the two-year-old pacing fillies will wrap up their regular season in Race 5.

(O.S.S.)

To view Friday’s entries, click here.