Kawartha Downs fans would be wise to break with traditional thinking and send three-year-old trotting colt Text Me off as their top choice from Post 8

in Tuesday’s $130,000 Gold Final.

The colt has drawn outside posts in two other Gold Finals this season — the May 31 season opener at Mohawk Racetrack and the Aug. 15 final at Flamboro Downs — and both times reinsman Randy Waples was smiling in the winner’s circle after the race.

“He drew an outside post, but if he can get a good trip and he’s with them at the three-quarters, he’ll be noticed,” says Bowmanville, ON resident Dave Boyle, who shares ownership of Text Me with trainer Bob McIntosh of Windsor, ON and C S X Stables of Liberty Center, OH.

Through 17 starts this season Text Me has only missed one cheque, amassing a record of eight wins, three seconds, one third, three fourths and one fifth for earnings of $372,227. In Ontario Sires Stakes action the homebred son of Kadabra and Dial Nile has earned three Gold Elimination trophies and two Gold Final prizes, only missing the top three once in nine appearances. With 320 points he is well out ahead in the three-year-old trotting colt standings, 145 points ahead of nearest rival Windsun Galaxie.

“I’m just lucky that Bob wanted to sell a piece of Text Me,” says Boyle. “It’s nice to get lucky once in a while.”

Long time partners, Boyle and McIntosh have owned a variety of successful racehorses, including the 2003 and 2004 Ontario Sires Stakes trotting colt champion In Conchnito. With his Gold Elimination win last week, Text Me has already had more luck in provincial stakes action at Kawartha than $1 million winner In Conchnito, and Boyle is hoping that trend continues through Tuesday.

“I owned a piece of In Conchnito, and when he raced at Peterborough he finished second in his elimination and second in the Final,” Boyle recalls. “I’m hoping this guy can do the opposite and win the final. It would be nice.”

While Text Me may find Post 8 a disadvantage in his quest for a third Gold Final trophy, the colt will has one advantage not shared by any of his peers. He will leave Windsor early enough on Tuesday morning to enjoy a rest stop at Boyle’s farm before heading on to Kawartha for the sixth race.

“They ship into my place. It gives him a couple of hours to get off the trailer and stretch,” explains Boyle. “And last week they stayed over night at my place and then shipped back the next day.”

In addition to serving as a home away from home for McIntosh’s racehorses, Boyle’s farm is also the home to a number of the partner’s mares, and the longtime horseman admits that watching the young horses grow and develop gives him just as much enjoyment as stepping into the winner’s circle.

“I enjoy that as much as racing; raising the babies,” he notes. “Since I’ve been with Bob there’s been a lot of enjoyment in the horse industry for me.”

In spite of Text Me’s outside post, Waples will be aiming to provide Boyle with another positive racing memory on Tuesday. The veteran reinsman will be keeping an eye peeled for reigning Gold Final champion Lexis Noah from Post 1 and the other Gold Elimination winner from last week, Windsun Galaxie, from Post 5.

Local colt Watkins, owned by Idylwood Stables Inc. of Peterborough and Watkins Equine Inc. of Newcastle, will be aiming to add a Gold Final trophy to the Grassroots Championship hardware he collected on Oct. 23. Watkins and regular reinsman Mike Saftic line up behind the Kawartha Downs starting gate at Post 3.

“It’s a great bunch of colts,” says Boyle. “It will come down to whoever gets a good trip.”

Post time for Kawartha Downs’ Tuesday evening program is 4:15 p.m., with the competitive three-year-old trotting colts squaring off in Race 6.

(O.S.S.)

To view Tuesday’s entries, click here.