With the 2008 O'Brien Awards less than two weeks away, the SC website will shine the spotlight on the finalists in each O'Brien division
.
Today we profile the two-year-old pacing filly division.
ARTS STAR - The strapping daughter of Modern Art kicked off her racing career with a victory in mid July at Mohawk and remained extremely productive all season. She was another top performer for trainer Casie Coleman who is once again a finalist for Canada's Trainer of the Year.
Arts Star won an Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Gold Elimination on October 31 at Western Fair Raceway in London and appeared in three Gold Finals during her campaign. Her biggest payday came in her final start when she finished second in the $300,000 OSS Super Final at Woodbine Racetrack.
Arts Star ended the season with eight on-the-board finishes from 11 trips postward, $185,000 in earnings and a record of 1:54.3 in an overnight event at Woodbine.
ST LADS POPCORN - This powerhouse filly was the pride and joy of the Jack Darling Stable in 2008. Darling also campaigned her sire, Twin B Champ, during his brief but brilliant racing career.
St Lads Popcorn caught a break early in her rookie campaign when she drew in off the 'also eligible' list to the first Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Final of the year at Flamboro Downs on July 18. She made the most of the opportunity by scoring a comfortable wire-to-wire victory for driver Jason Brewer in 1:53.3.
She would go on to compete in all five Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Finals, winning four of them. In addition, St Lads Popcorn beat Grand Circuit calibre horses in the Robert Stewart Stakes at Mohawk in mid August and posted divisional wins in the Trillium Series at Flamboro, Rideau Carleton Raceway, and Kawartha Downs.
The highlight of her campaign was a solid 1:54.4 victory in the $300,000 OSS Super Final on November 15 at Woodbine.
St Lads Popcorn finished the year with 12 wins from 15 starts and over $602,000 in earnings, making her the leading money-winning two-year-old pacing filly in the Ontario Sires Stakes program.