She’s riding the crest of a four-race winning streak, and a victory in Friday night’s $54,500 final of the Ontario Girls Pacing Series, for four-year-old mares, would certainly be a feather in the figurative cap of D M Marion.

It would also represent by far the biggest win to date for the daughter of Rambaran, who until recently had been spotted only on the smaller ovals of southwestern Ontario. Back-to-back wins at Windsor Raceway in January, however, evidently convinced trainer Ronnie MacLean, and owners Connie Baker and the Glory B Stables, that she deserved a shot in the 'Big Smoke.'

D M Marion seems to like the feel of Woodbine’s expansive track. Not only has she trounced her competition in both the opener and second leg of the Ontario Girls series over the past two weeks, but she has managed to improve her lifetime best clocking to 1:54.4 in the process.

D M Marion is heading into the series final as the 2-1 favourite, but she’ll have to watch her back, because Windsong Experanza will likely be a major threat, as she has throughout the series. Second in both of her preliminary efforts, the Astreos daughter is gunning to regain the form with which she first impressed, in last December’s Niagara Series – and with an ideal post position (PP3) and the take-no-prisoners hands of Jody Jamieson at the lines, she should not be discounted.

The Ontario Girls Pacing Series final is scheduled as race #6 on Woodbine’s Friday, March 6 card. Post time is 9:10 p.m.

(WEG)

Another Romp In Apaches Fame?

He lived up to his name in the $52,400 final of The Count B Pacing Series at Woodbine less than two weeks ago, romping to a three-and-a-quarter length triumph. Now a sophomore colt named Midnite Romp is targeting his next challenge, the $20,000 opener of the Apaches Fame Pacing Series on Friday night, March 6.

A homebred hailing from the David Goodrow Stable of Campbellville, Ont., Midnite Romp is by Million Dollar Cam, and has been under the tutelage of Cavan, Ont.-based trainer David Gibson since his debut at two, last August. It took him till December to score his first victory, at the experimental distance of seven-eighths mile, and his subsequent tries at that distance at Woodbine were not his best.

Midnite Romp really began to come into his own in The Count B, grabbing the show spot in the opener and following that with back-to-back wins by increasing margins. In the final he also managed to reduce his lifetime best clocking to 1:52.3.

Midnite Romp will be leaving from Post 4, and has been rated the 2-1 morning line favourite, but he’ll have nine other colts to out-pace, including the determined Herestopatrick (trained by Mark Austin), and Bob McIntosh entry, Its A Good Thing, who is thus far unbeaten as a three-year-old, and has successfully made the transition
from Windsor Raceway’s five-eighths mile surface to Woodbine’s larger oval. Though Its A Good Thing will be leaving from post nine, he is the 5-2 second choice and will deserve respect on Friday night.

The opening round of the Apaches Fame series is Race 7 (post time 9:30 p.m.) on a card which also features the $54,500 final of the Ontario Girls Pacing Series.

(WEG)