Surrealist Strikes Gold
In rein to Anthony MacDonald, Surrealist captured the rich $180,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold final for two-year-old colts and geldings at Kawartha Downs on Saturday night.
Surrealist occupied the front end through panels of :28.4, :59.1 and 1:27.2 before sprinting home in :27.3 for the win in a career best clocking of 1:55 by over one length.
Ok Boromir (Gene Piroski) rode the pocket to finish second and Rescue Plan (James Morrill, Jr.) closed well for third.
The son of Modern Art earned $90,000 for the win after the elimination and consolation purses were added to the Gold final's purse. Surrealist's bankroll now totals $109,260. The Chad Schmiedge trainee improved his record to 2-2-2 in six lifetime starts with the win. He is owned by Brad Grant of Milton, Ont.
In other action, the first leg of the Trick Or Treat Trotting Series was contested at the Fraserville oval with four $5,500 divisions.
The five-year-old Basil gelding, Stoic, and trainer/driver John Thomson dominated the first division with a four length victory in 2:00.
Driven by Fred Brethour, the five-year-old gelding by Angus Hall, Lukes Merlin used a first-over journey to prevail by a half length in 2:01.1 for trainer Ron Mitchell.
Copper John, a four-year-old gelding by Yankee Glide, used a pocket trip to his advantage in the third split in rein to trainer Randy Fritz, winning in 1:58.4 – a new lifetime mark.
Montana Victory, a five-year-old Balanced Image gelding, also lowered his mark after winning his split in wire-to-wire fashion in 2:00.4 by a head for trainer/driver David Green.
To view the charted lines from Saturday, "http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/racing/results/data/r1011kdfn.dat">click here.