A pocket ride and just enough room in the stretch was the winning formula for Ellis Park in the $34,000 Preferred Pace on Saturday (October 28) at Woodbine Racetrack.
James MacDonald placed Ellis Park forwardly in the field of six, leaving with speed from the rail. Favoured Easy Lover Hanover (Randy Waples) had designs on the lead and managed to front his five foes through a :26.1 opener with Ellis Park pocketed in second. Louis-Philippe Roy right-lined American Virgin from fourth to take a run at the favourite but could not clear, thus American Virgin and Easy Lover Hanover went at each other through a :54.4 half and 1:21.4 three-quarters.
American Virgin drifted out enough the stretch for Ellis Park to find room from the pocket, but that also allowed longshot Phoenix Warrior N (Travis Cullen) some room up the rail. Waples and Easy Lover Hanover held their path, thus Cullen couldn't shoot through up the inside. But Ellis Park and MacDonald did find a path and got up to pick off Easy Lover Hanover by a scant head in a sharp 1:50.1. American Virgin held off stablemate Phoenix Warrior for show.
Tony O'Sullivan trains Ellis Park (Rocknroll Hanover - Roller Cam), an eight-year-old homebred owned by the David Goodrow Stable of Cambridge, Ont. The win for Ellis Park was his 29th lifetime and lifted his lifetime purse earnings to $672,160.
For full results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Racetrack.