Windsor Raceway wraps up an exceptional stretch of Ontario Sires Stakes racing on Wednesday, October 7 when the top nine two-year-old pacing fillies in the province return to the border oval for their fourth $130,000 Gold final
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Hoping to defend the Gold final title she earned at Flamboro Downs on September 24 is Western Silk, who was an effortless winner in last week’s elimination round. In rein to regular pilot Mark MacDonald, Western Silk sprinted home a three and one-quarter length winner in 1:54.1.
"Mark said he never even pulled the plugs, he had lots of horse left," says trainer Casie Coleman, who shares ownership of Western Silk with Tom Hill of Lancashire, Great Britian. "She’s finally coming along pretty good."
A $50,000 acquisition from last fall’s Harrisburg Yearling Sale, Western Silk was not a quick study, refusing to pace for the first month after she arrived in Coleman’s barn. However, once the Western Terror daughter found her gait, she started to demonstrate an impressive level of talent.
In her early schoolers and qualifiers, the filly also demonstrated an aggressive temperament, so MacDonald and Coleman employed a very conservative racing strategy through the first three months of the season.
"She’s always had high speed, always had high talent, but she is a hot filly. We had to be very careful with her," notes the trainer. "Mark’s done a great job taking her back and making sure she raced off a helmet."
Western Silk qualified twice at Mohawk Racetrack, on July 4 and 13, then made her debut in a Grassroots division at Kawartha Downs on July 18, posting a three length victory in 1:56.4. A third-place effort in an August 3 overnight at Mohawk prepped the filly for her Gold Series debut, where she captured her August 9 elimination with a 1:53.1 effort and then finished fourth in the August 16 final.
Matching wits with North America’s best freshman pacing lasses in the August 22 Eternal Camnation, Western Silk finished third. One week later she was back in the same company for a Shes A Great Lady elimination and delivered a disappointing fourth.
"She didn’t get the best trip and she did come out of it sick," says Coleman of the filly’s Shes A Great Lady start. "She got pretty sick for a couple of weeks there. She had snot and a bit of a cough, and I couldn’t seem to clear it up."
The filly recovered her health in time for the September 17 Gold elimination at Flamboro Downs, where she finished second to Fbs Terror, and then looked the picture of health capturing the September 24 Gold final on the front end in an effortless 1:54.4. MacDonald also employed a front end strategy to capture last week’s Gold elimination, and Coleman says their early caution seems to have resulted in a very relaxed, versatile racehorse.
"Mark said last week, and when she won the Gold final at Flamboro, he said she was like a kitten out there, she had perfect manners," notes the Cambridge resident. "She has a mouth on her now, and manners on her. We can race her however we want to, not how she wants to."
After Wednesday’s Gold final, which will see MacDonald send the filly after her third straight win from Post 6 in the sixth race, Coleman and Hill will be plotting their strategy for the remainder of the season. There is one Gold Series remaining, October 31 and November 7 at Woodbine Racetrack; the filly has already secured a berth in the November 14 Super Final with 183 points; and she is also eligible to the Breeders Crown, with eliminations going postward October 16 at Woodbine and the final slated for October 24.
"She’s paid into the Breeders Crown, but we’ll assess that after the race Wednesday," explains Coleman. "She’s already got nine starts on her belt. If she had a few less starts I’d definitely say she’s going to the Breeders Crown; I think she’s good enough, but I don’t want to over race her."
Hoping to influence the result of Wednesday’s Gold final and Coleman’s deliberations is the other elimination winner and former Gold final champion Bay Girl, who will start from Post 3 in the $130,000 contest.
The talented two-year-old pacing fillies line up behind the Windsor Raceway starting gate in Race 6 on Wednesday, with the first race sprinting away from the gate at 7 p.m.
To view Wednesday's harness racing entries, click here.
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