Launching from the pocket at the bottom of the turn, Twin B Archie charged past 1-5 favourite Duly Resolved to take the $225,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings going away on Saturday (Oct. 16) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Driver James MacDonald motored Twin B Archie to the point by a :28.4 first quarter and pocketed early leader Mr Fritter. Duly Resolved then floated out of fourth into the backside and ranged towards the tempo-setter before clearing the top approaching a :57.4 half. He continued uncontested into the final turn as Kipper Whipr Snipr recouped ground first over, looming closer to the top at three-quarters in 1:26.3.
Though with Kipper Whipr Snipr looming first over, Twin B Archie had a clear opening to pop out of the pocket coming to head stretch. With clear racetrack ahead, the Archangel gelding drew alongside Duly Resolved and promptly scurried clear to win by a widening margin in 1:55.3. Kipper Whipr Snipr closed to take third and Mr Fritter finished fourth.
“I thought if I was going to beat [Duly Resolved], his back would probably be the best way to do it because he’s such a good horse,” MacDonald said after the race. “I mean, everyone saw him just about win the Mohawk Million. He’s a great horse and my horse got the better of him tonight. Hopefully they’ll battle it out again next year.
“I was glad he got out early, not getting locked in,” trainer Scott McEneny said after the race. “He gets a little excited when he’s in a hole. And James can shut his wind off kind of easy, so I was glad he kind of got him out and got him going. He had a really good week – he was sick about a month ago, and he was really good at Flamboro two weeks ago. He was just as good tonight. He’s like a big kid with ADD, this guy. You’ve got to keep on your toes. My daughter’s done a great job with this horse; she loves him, and she works hard on him. She deserves all the credit on this horse.
“I remembered the first time I qualified him – Scott told me ‘I really think there’s a lot in there. I just haven’t been able to get any of it out of him training,’” MacDonald also said. “I think he even said he’ll be a better aged horse. It took him a couple of qualifiers. Just as the year got on, he got stronger and stronger and stronger. At Flamboro, you got a shot at the real horse – he showed up, he was able to cut it and he just blew them away [in a] track record. That’s just the kind of horse he is and I’m really proud of him.”
The victory marked three Super Final victories on the card for James MacDonald, who nabbed his first Super Final victory in 2020 when Dashing Muscle took the championship for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
“I looked at the program, and you say ‘Geez, I’ve got a good lineup tonight,’” MacDonald said of his driving assignments. “You need the horses to show up, you need the trips to work out, sometimes they make breaks behind the gate, people make breaks in front of you. It takes a lot to have a night like this to go right. I’ve been really fortunate; everything’s gone right. Hopefully it’s not done and I can get another one.
Co-owned by McEneny with Domenic Chiaravalle, Floyd Marshall and Martwest Racing Stable, Twin B Archie won his fourth race from 10 starts, pushing his earnings to $285,016. He paid $9.60 to win.
Be sure to check out the rest of the recaps in the 2021 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final News Centre.