Ontario’s talented two-year-old trotting fillies are heading to Western Fair Raceway on Saturday evening, where they will treat fans to a pair of $40,000 Gold eliminations
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Reigning Gold final champion Random Destiny will begin defence of her title from Post 3 in the second elim, and trainer-driver Riina Rekila says the Ken Warkentin lass is in good spirits heading into the last regular season event.
"She is out with other horses in the same paddock all day," said the resident of Campbellville, Ont. "Hopefully she can stay healthy."
Random Destiny has already had one battle with sickness this season, and Rekila would love to see her get through to the November 14 Super Final without another bout.
After making an impressive debut in the mid-July season opener at Grand River Raceway, where she won her elimination and finished second by a head in the final, the filly delivered a lacklustre effort in a division of the July 26 Bud Light Stakes at Flamboro Downs. Testing following the race indicated a throat infection, so Rekila and owner Esa Lahtinen of Campbellville opted to address the illness and skip the early August Gold event at Mohawk Racetrack.
Instead, Random Destiny competed in the August 13 Grassroots contest at Hiawatha Horse Park, where she recorded a second victory, and then returned to the Gold Series on August 24 at Mohawk Racetrack. Second in her elimination and fourth in the Gold final, Random Destiny then made her seventh start in a division of the Champlain Stakes at Mohawk on September 7, where she made an early error and finished well back of the field in sixth.
With a classic pocket trip on September 29 at Windsor Raceway, Random Destiny picked up her second Gold elim trophy in a personal best 1:58.1, and then came back with an impressive effort up the outside over an off track to claim a three and one-half length victory in the October 6 Gold final.
Rekila says the key to keeping the lively filly on an even keel has been maintaining her daily regimen, and nothing will change heading into Saturday’s elimination in spite of the three week break the filly has enjoyed since her Windsor win.
"We try to keep her routine the same. That’s what horses love — routine," the trainer said. "If they know they are doing the same thing every day, they can trust you."
Random Destiny and her peers will need a top-four finish to advance to the November 7 Gold final, and Rekila says if the filly minds her manners she has enough gate speed to take advantage of Post 3.
"I think she should be okay, if she races flat," said the native of Finland. "She has done the half-mile track before and she was good. I’ll probably leave a little bit and see what happens."
Among the fillies that Random Destiny will face in Saturday’s tenth race is Poof Shes Gone, who will make her second Gold Series appearance after sweeping her elimination and the $617,880 final of the Breeders Crown at Woodbine Racetrack October 16 and 24. The daughter of Kadabra, who boasts nine wins from 11 starts against the best fillies in North America, will start from Post 6 on Saturday.
The first Gold elim is slated as Race 4 and will feature former Gold final winners Isthatallyagot and Sooner Than Later from Posts 3 and 4, respectively.
First race post time for Western Fair Raceway’s October 31 program is 7:05 p.m., and the two-year-old trotting fillies will parade in front of the grandstand in Races 4 and 10.
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at Western Fair Raceway, click here.
(OSS)