Two-year-old trotting fillies returned to Rideau Carleton Raceway for Friday’s $130,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Final, which featured a thrilling stretch battle between elimination winners My Whispering Eye and Oh Sweet Baby
. Ultimately, it was My Whispering Eye who prevailed by the slimmest of margins, equaling her 1:58.4 track record in the process.
My Whispering Eye (Anthony MacDonald) and Oh Sweet Baby (Mario Baillargeon), who both broke their maidens in last week's eliminations, got away fifth and sixth in the field of Gold contenders while South Bay (John MacDonald) cleared the lead ahead of Quantum Victoria (Guy Gagnon) past the :28.1 opening quarter and then reached the half in :57.4.
A parked out Extraordinaire (Wayne Henry) moved up alongside the leader and gained control of the field down the backstretch with My Whispering Eye coming three-wide and taking over at three-quarters in 1:27.4.
Favourite Oh Sweet Baby followed My Whispering Eye and the pair locked in a duel down the stretch, but it was My Whispering Eye who got her nose to the wire first. Quantum Victoria, the longest shot on the board at odds of 88-1, finished six and three-quarter lengths behind in third.
My Whispering Eye returned $6.20 to win as the 2-1 second choice. She now sports two wins and six seconds on her 11-race record with $157,200 earned for owner Terry Hunter of Troy, Ont. The daughter of Here Comes Herbie-Mackies Image is trained by James MacDonald, who drove early breaker Scorpius in the final.
Haphazard Gourmet (Gord McDonald) also made an early break as did Pretty Crafty (Trevor Ritchie), who caused a refund. The ORC judges ruled that Pretty Crafty was not inside the fair start pole.
The win bumped My Whispering Eye into a tie for the top spot in the division standings with Peach Martini, both of them boasting point totals of 205.
The freshmen trotting fillies will head to Mohawk Racetrack on Monday, Oct. 11 for their last Gold Series event of the season before the Super Finals.
To view Friday's results, click here.