The fields have now been established for this Saturday’s eight $250,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Finals at Mohawk Racetrack, which will showcase the top performers in the provincial program and provide an exciting conclusion to the 2014 OSS season.
The races have been carded as Race 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10. To view the entries, click here. For a free, printable program page, courtesy of TrackIT, click here.
Another special race on Saturday is the Wendy Hoogeveen Memorial (Race 6), in honour of the Ontario Racing Commission’s director of industry development and support, who passed away in August at the age of 56.
In addition to all of the exciting races on track, there will be a multitude of activities to enjoy off track, including EquiMania, a youth education program presented by the University of Guelph. Designed to delight horse enthusiasts of all ages, EquiMania features games, workbooks, fun materials and true to life displays and offers a unique hands-on adventure into the wonderful world of horses.
It will be a jam-packed evening at the Campbellville racetrack on October 11, with lots of entertainment for the family, live music, contests, exhibits, great food and of course, some outstanding racing by the very best colts and fillies in the province.
The fun will begin at 5:30 p.m. with racing starting at 7:25. Admission and parking are free.
Here's a preview of Saturday's eight Super Finals:
Two-Year-Old Filly Trot – Race 2
Trainer John Bax sends out a strong 1-2 punch to kick off this year’s Super Finals thanks to the dynamic duo of Stubborn Belle and Juanitas Fury.
Stubborn Belle (Post 1 – Paul MacDonell) is the richest filly in the field thanks to a bankroll that stands at $361,286. The upset winner against Grand Circuit foes in last month’s $385,000 Peaceful Way Final has since come back to win an OSS Gold Series division in a career-best clocking of 1:54.1.
Her stablemate, Juanitas Fury (Post 8 – Steve Condren), has stashed away more than $227,000 while assembling a 3-4-1 record in her first nine assignments. The daughter of Kadabra was a lapped-on second to Stubborn Belle in the Peaceful Way Final.
The points leader in the division, Danielle Hall (Post 2 – Jody Jamieson), went 4-1-0 in five Gold Series assignments for Team Jamieson. The six-time winner has racked up more than $250,000 in the process.
Three-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Trot – Race 3
Harper Blue Chip figures to be one of the biggest favourites in the Super Finals parade, and trainer Mark Steacy can finally say he drew a great post in a big money final. The trainer has been a bit snake bitten in that department in the past, but Post 2 figures to be a great spot for the son of Majestic Son to work from. Sylvain Filion will pair up with the eight-time winner who will try to add to his $678,000 bankroll. He went 3-for-3 in Gold Series events this season and led the division with 150 points.
Two-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Pace – Race 4
It’s the Casie Coleman show in this Super Final as the five-time O’Brien Award winner as Canada’s Trainer of the Year will send out a five-headed monster in the rich tilt.
Leading her freshman army is the incredibly talented Reverend Hanover (Post 5 – Chris Christoforou). The son of Sportswriter, who is 3-for-3 going into Saturday’s affair, has looked dominant in each of his performances. The colt earned a 1:51.1 career-best clocking in his first OSS Gold Series assignment and followed it up with a 1:51.4 triumph in his follow-up try against Gold Series foes.
Coleman will also send out Southwind Indy (Post 1 – Jack Moiseyev), Bob Ben And John (Post 3 – Jonathan Drury), Sportskeeper (Post 6 – Sylvain Filion) and Rollwiththepunches (Post 10 – Phil Hudon).
Two-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Trot – Race 5
After racking up three OSS Gold Series wins in the regular season, Dont Rush will try to keep the ball rolling in Saturday’s Super Final. The son of Infinitif will have to overcome Post 8 in his quest for a third straight score for the tandem of driver Chris Christoforou and trainer Dustin Jones. The colt manufactured a 3-3-1 record from 10 trips to the track, and he banked more than $170,000 in the process.
He’ll take on a host of other capable rookies including recent Gold Series winners, Rise Up Rise Up (Post 2 – Mike Saftic) and Alacrity (Post 3 – Eddie Green).
Two-Year-Old Filly Pace – Race 7
Sports Chic has dominated the division for trainer Blake MacIntosh and driver Jody Jamieson, but she disappointed in the final Gold Series event of the season. The daughter of Sportswriter, who went 5-3-0 in her first eight tries, finished a disappointing seventh at Mohawk Racetrack on September 29. Bouncing back won’t be easy based on the fact she’s drawn the dreaded Post 10.
What might help is the fact that recent Gold Series winners, Capela (Post 8 – James MacDonald) and Wrangler Magic (Post 9 – Sylvain Filion), haven’t drawn much better.
Three-Year-Old Filly Trot – Race 8
Riveting Rosie will look to become a repeat Super Final winner for the team of driver Paul MacDonell and trainer John Bax, but it won’t be easy considering she’s drawn Post 10. The O’Brien Award-winning daughter of Muscle Mass came out of the blocks slowly this season, but she’s really found her form in recent weeks. She was second against the continent’s top sophomore fillies, and she has since posted back-to-back Gold Series scores.
Sweetie Hearts (Post 1 – Randy Waples is another filly who got off to a slow start to the season, but trainer Ron Parsons has her firing on all cylinders going into Saturday’s final. The daughter of Angus Hall has been first or second in four of her last five assignments. She’s stashed away more than $280,000 this season.
Three-Year-Old Filly Pace – Race 9
Skippin By (Post 3 – Randy Waples) has won back-to-back Gold Series events since moving into the barn of trainer Corey Johnson, and she figures to get a lot of pari-mutuel support on Saturday night. The daughter of Shadow Play came within one-fifth of a second from matching Michelles Powers’ all-time OSS record for three-year-old pacing fillies when she blazed to a 1:50.2 win in a Gold Series division at Mohawk Racetrack on September 8. She’s won five of 18 starts this season.
Lady Shadow (Post 7 – Doug McNair) also racked up five wins this year, including a 1:49.2 triumph for driver Rick Zeron in her elimination of the Canadian Breeders Championship at Mohawk Racetrack on July 12. She won back-to-back Gold Series events before finishing fourth in her elimination heat of the Jugette last month in Ohio.
Three-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Pace – Race 10
Jet Airway made four appearances in the OSS Gold Series this season, and the speedy son of Jeremes Jet was perfect in those assignments for trainer Tony Alagna and driver Randy Waples. After racking up just over $62,000 last year, the colt has tacked on more than $278,000 in earnings this year. The ten-time winner, who is 7-for-15 in 2014, will start from Post 1 on Saturday evening.
The Dr. Ian Moore-trained Play It Again Sam (Post 9 – Jody Jamieson) and Silverhill Shadow (Post 10 – Chris Christoforou) have both had their fair share of success in Gold Series events this season, but they’ve got their work cut out for them considering they’ve drawn the outside posts in the rich tilt.
(With files from the OSS)