Gold Champs Set To Defend Titles

Monkeygood1.jpg
Published: October 10, 2011 09:55 pm EDT

On Thursday, Oct. 13 Ontario’s top three-year-old pacing fillies and two-year-old trotting fillies will kick off three straight nights of Gold Final action

at Woodbine Racetrack.

The pacing fillies get things under way in the third race on Thursday, competing for a rich $170,000 purse after all eight fillies advanced directly to the final without need for an elimination. Two-time Gold Final champions Monkey On My Wheel and driver Jody Jamieson are the heavyweights in the skirmish and will look to defend their title from Post 4.

“As the year went on she seemed to get stronger, she’s been healthy, she’s definitely at the top of her game,” says Burlington resident Mac Nichol, who bred and owns the filly in partnership with trainer Travis Umphrey of Guelph. “The last time I was there Travis said she was ripping the barn down she was feeling so good.”

Monkey On My Wheel heads into the last regular season Gold event off a three-week break in stakes action. The Mach Three daughter’s last start was in the Sept. 20 Gold Final at Mohawk Racetrack, which she captured by three and one-quarter lengths in a personal best 1:50.2.

“She’s probably had a little bit too long a break, but we couldn’t get a race for her,” notes Nichol. “Travis just trained her harder, just to be ready.”

Through 13 starts this season Monkey On My Wheel boasts a record of six wins, four seconds and one third for earnings of $441,208. She sits well out in front of her peers in the Gold Series standings with 256 points, 81 more than second-ranked Village Janus. Following Thursday’s start, Nichol and Umphrey hope to see the filly compete over the Woodbine oval in the Breeders Crown in late October and in the $300,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final on Nov. 12.

“Everything is good with her, her health is good and that’s the main thing,” concludes Nichol.

Trainer Richard “Nifty” Norman is hoping two-year-old trotting filly Miss Paris can follow the same path Monkey On My Wheel’s connections are plotting. The filly heads into Thursday’s $130,000 Gold Final off three straight victories and Norman feels things are finally coming together for the regally bred daughter of Kadabra-Pizza Dolce.

“We paid a lot of money for her and she’s been good from Day 1,” says Norman, who conditions Miss Paris for Mel Hartman of Ottawa, ON, Herb Liverman of Miami Beach, FL and David McDuffee of Delray Beach, FL. “Actually she’s getting better. She’s got the racing part worked out, it looks like she can leave the gate a little better, she’s getting stronger, I’m very happy.”

A $210,000 acquisition from last fall’s Lexington Select Yearling Sale, the full-sister to $753,133 winner Bella Dolce started her career south of the border, scoring her first victory in a July 29 elimination of the Merrie Annabelle at The Meadowlands. Miss Paris finished fourth in the Merrie Annabelle final and then shipped north for a win in an overnight event at Mohawk Racetrack on Aug. 23 in preparation for a series of stakes engagements at the Campbellville oval against North America’s best.

In the Sept. 1 Champlain Stakes Miss Paris finished fourth in her division, then came back the following week with a runner-up effort in an elimination for the Peaceful Way. The filly finished third in the $447,000 final of the Peaceful Way, and finally made her debut in the Ontario Sires Stakes when the Gold Series stopped at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Sept. 22.

Miss Paris and driver Scott Zeron were effortless winners in both the elimination and final at Rideau Carleton and repeated their winning ways in last week’s Gold Elimination at Woodbine.

“There between the Gold Elimination and Final at Rideau we didn’t even train her, because she had kind of a tough ship, and she responded really well,” notes Norman. “I trained her a slow trip today (Monday), but not very strenuously.”

Miss Paris will aim to defend her Gold Final title from Post 7 in the eighth race on Thursday, facing a field of nine other talented young trotters. The other elimination winner, and former Gold Final winner, Circles, will start from Post 1 in the $130,000 contest.

Woodbine Racetrack sends its first race in behind the starting gate at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, with the three-year-old pacing fillies taking centre stage in Race 3 and the two-year-old trotting fillies taking over in Race 8.

(OSS)

To view entries for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Entries – Woodbine Racetrack.

Tags
Have something to say about this? Log in or create an account to post a comment.