David Menary will harness two colts in Sunday evening’s freshman pacing colt Gold Final at Rideau Carleton Raceway, and the trainer believes both youngsters are heading into the race with a legitimate shot
at earning a share of the $170,000 purse.
With Post 2 and a record of four wins in eights starts, Prodigal Seelster carries the biggest share of the Menary stable’s expectations. Sunday will be the colt’s first Ontario Sires Stakes start since the July 15 season opening Gold Final at Mohawk Racetrack, where he finished at the back of the pack due to broken equipment. After that start the son of Camluck and Platinum Seelster posted four straight victories in stakes action, sweeping his elimination and the final of Grand River Raceway’s Battle of Waterloo, and his Nassagaweya division and Metro Pace Elimination at Mohawk Racetrack.
Unfortunately Prodigal Seelster came up sick for the Sept. 4 Metro Pace Final, where he faded to ninth after leading through the middle of the race. He did not return to action until the Oct. 1 Breeders Crown Eliminations at Pocono Downs, where he finished fifth, missing the final.
“His last two starts he’s had some bad luck, but we’re still happy with the colt,” says Menary. “And (Tim) Tetrick’s happy with him, he’s coming all the way up to drive him. It’s the first time he’s ever driven at Rideau Carleton.
“We’re all hoping it goes well,” adds the Cheltenham, ON resident. “He’s had another little gap in his schedule, but we trained him up good, so hopefully he’s heading into the race in good form.”
When only seven colts were entered for the Oct. 17 Gold Elimination, all seven advanced directly to Sunday’s lucrative final, an outcome that Menary feels will stand Prodigal Seelster in good stead through the remainder of his freshman campaign.
“If Rideau goes well, we’ll probably try Prodigal in the Governor’s Cup (Oct. 30),” notes the horseman, who conditions the winner of $244,455 for his father Larry Menary of Cheltenham, Denis Breton of Welland, ON, Kenneth Ewen of Georgetown, ON and Double Or Nothing Stables of Hamilton, ON. “He’s getting up there in starts, so we’ll let him tell us what to do.”
The colt needs a top finish on Sunday in order to extend his Ontario Sires Stakes season through the Nov. 13 Super Final at Woodbine Racetrack, a concern not shared by stablemate Watermelonwine, who has already locked up a berth in the $300,000 season finale.
Through two Gold Elimination and three Gold Final appearances Watermelonwine has accumulated one win, one second, one fourth and one fifth, putting him third in the division standings with 112 points. The son of Life Sign and $505,305 winner Arukiddinme finished second in the Oct. 9 Gold Final at Mohawk Racetrack, also a $170,000 dash, and Menary was very pleased with the young pacer’s effort.
“I was really happy with his last start. I thought he was home, but he’d been first up for a long way and he just didn’t find the wire quick enough,” says the horseman.
“I would’ve liked a little better post (Sunday),” Menary adds. “But I think he can kick for home as much or more than any of them.”
Regular reinsman Rick Zeron will steer Watermelonwine from Post 7 on Sunday for Menary and owner Brad Gray of Dundas, ON. Gray sent two colts to Menary in early September believing that Watermelonwine was the less gifted of the two, but one trip behind the long legged youngster convinced Menary that the colt had tremendous potential.
“I was just real impressed the first time I trained him,” Menary recalls. “He was a colt with a nice engine and the right tools, he just had to put it all together.”
Watermelonwine, Prodigal Seelster and their peers will square off in the eighth race on Rideau Carleton Raceway’s Sunday evening program, which gets under way at 6:30 p.m.
(O.S.S.)
To view Sunday’s entries, click here.