In one of the most dramatic finishes to an Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final, there was nearly a triple dead heat for win in the $250,000 Final for three-year-old trotting fillies.
Trina (Robert Shepherd) made the early lead through a :27.3 first quarter before yielding to Massive Flirt (Jody Jamieson). Massive Flirt fronted the field through a :57.1 half and 1:26.1 third quarter, holding first over rival P L Notsonice (Jonathan Drury) at bay. Royalty Deal (Louis-Philippe Roy) was positioned second over around the final turn, but grabbed the front in deep stretch as Massive Flirt started to fade. The backfield was poised to pounce with Magic Cape (Mike Vanderkemp) tipping off Royalty Deal's helmet to challenge. Shape Shifter (Phil Hudon) was stickhandled through traffic by Phil Hudon full of trot, and she found a seam to make it a three-across finish in 1:55.2.
The photo revealed a dead-heat between 99-1 shot Shape Shifter and 9-1 Magic Cape. Judges examined the racing action both heading into the first turn and in the stretch and found no reason to change the finish order, resulting in a dead heat between Magic Cape and Shape Shifter with Royalty Deal just back in third.
Shape Shifter picked up the biggest payday of her career, taking home $93,750 with the dead-heat win to nearly double her earnings. Gerald Lilley trains the Kadabra - Too Good For You filly, now a three-time winner, for owner Tom Crouch of New Smyrna Beach, Fl.
Magic Cape picked up a new lifetime mark and her biggest payday for trainer-driver Vanderkemp and owner-breeder Sonja Booth of Robbinsville, N.J. Unraced at two, Magic Cape (Johnny William - Microwave Muscles) sports a 2-4-3 summary in 10 starts.
This race was one of eight Ontario Sires Stakes Super Finals contested on Saturday, Oct. 17. Check out the rest of the recaps in the OSS Super Final News Centre.