Dave Menary will arrive at Woodbine Racetrack on Saturday evening with eight Super Final contenders, including two divisional point leaders, but the Cambridge, Ont. resident says his starters have their work cut out for them in the Ontario Sires Stakes program’s $2 million season finale.
“When the sheet came out, you know Free Show drawing the 10-hole, and ‘Nvestment’ drawing the 10-hole, it was just a heart-breaker,” said Menary of the post position results for his top two-year-old pacing filly Free Show and two-year-old pacing colt divisional leader Nvestment Bluechip.
“Nvestment, he’s just risen to the occasion. He’s been my favourite colt since November and he’s kind of lived up to it,” said the trainer, whose OSS starters have earned a program-leading $802,700 this season. “His last start — to take a lifetime mark and beat Betting Line fair and square — we raced the whole way, we were out there to race, and we’re going to be out there to race again Saturday night. We’re just going to have to overcome our post.”
In four regular season Gold Series starts, Nvestment Bluechip posted three wins and one fourth to finish with 158 points. The son of Shadow Play and Hazes Zure Bet also won his Champlain Stakes division at Mohawk Racetrack on September 12 and has earned $219,283 for owners Menary Racing Inc. of Rockton, Michael Guerriero of Brampton, Denis Breton of Welland and Thomas Kyron of Toronto, Ont.
The colt, a $40,000 purchase from the 2014 Harrisburg Yearling Sale, heads into Saturday’s fifth race off a 1:51.1 personal best that was recorded in the last Gold Leg of the season. His rivals in the two-year-old pacing colt division will line up in the order they finished in the point standings, with Semi Automatic at Post 3, Voracity at Post 4 and Betting Line at Post 5.
“I think the horse is as good right now as he’s been all year, but I think it’s the worst post he’s ever had, so we’ll see how those two factors together work out,” said Menary, who will entrust the colt to regular reinsman Jody Jamieson of Moffat, Ont. “We’re going out there to win, so he’s going to have to work pretty hard from the 10-hole, and we’ll see how that pans out.”
In addition to Free Show, Menary will harness two other hopefuls in the freshman pacing filly season finale, which will be the first $250,000 Super Final to go postward on Saturday. Heavenly Hill and New Jersey-based driver Tim Tetrick landed Post 4, Maniana and Guelph, Ont. resident James MacDonald will start from Post 9, while Free Show and Jamieson will be handicapped by the outside Post 10.
Bred and owned by Tom Hill of Hamilton, Ont., Heavenly Hill was a winner in the August 15 Gold Leg at Georgian Downs, and the daughter of Art Colony heads into Saturday’s test off a runner-up effort at Mohawk on September 28.
Unlike her stablemates, Maniana did not win a regular season Gold division, but Menary has said that the Sportswriter filly has been in the picture in most of her starts. William Donovan of Ft. Lauderdale, FL owns Maniana, who was a $12,000 acquisition from last November’s Harrisburg Yearling Sale.
Free Show led her stablemates in the divisional standings, as she finished third with one win, one second and three thirds for a total of 137 points (the daughter of Badlands Hanover was also victorious in her elimination and the final of the Battle of the Belles at Grand River Raceway). Hutt Racing Stable of Paoli, PA acquired the winner of $205,773 from the Harrisburg Yearling Sale for $14,000 and Menary says she may be the fastest two-year-old in Ontario in a sprint away from the starting gate.
“I don’t think there’s any two-year-old colt or filly that can out-leave her,” the horseman attested. “I didn’t want to have to try to prove it from the 10-hole, but she can absolutely follow the car, and we’ve done that all year, she’s been so handy. You can follow the car out of there, and leave any kind of quarter you want to leave with her, and she’ll just come right back to you.”
Division heavyweights Thatsoveryverynice, L A Delight and Twin B Thong will make their bid for the Super Final crown from Posts 5, 6, and 8, respectively, in the second race.
Two-year-old trotting filly One Too Many will make her first start out of the Menary barn in Saturday’s Super Final, and the trainer has said he and his staff have been tinkering with the young trotter’s equipment in an effort to maximize her raw speed.
“She’s a filly that’s made a good impression on me so far. Anthony MacDonald did a very good job with her all year,” said the trainer. “The filly is maybe just a step behind the best fillies, but she has a very quick turn of foot. I think I’ve made changes that have helped her, and hopefully they don’t backfire.”
Guelph, Ont. resident Anthony MacDonald will steer One Too Many from Post 2 in Saturday’s third race on behalf of Rene Allard of Milford, PA, who purchased the daughter of Manofmanymissions from the 2014 Canadian Yearling Sale for $14,000.
Aside from Devils Advocate, who will start from Post 3, the big names in the freshman trotting filly division will be loaded on the outside of the starting gate. Division leader Caprice Hill will start from Post 7, Emoticon Hanover will line up in Post 8 and Could It Be Magic has drawn Post 9.
Menary’s final group of starters will go postward in the seventh race, when the three-year-old pacing colts and geldings will wage the last Ontario Sires Stakes battle of their careers. Last season’s Super Final champion Reverend Hanover and North America Cup Consolation winner Physicallyinclined are expected to give fans another epic battle from Posts 7 and 4, respectively, but Menary is hoping his trio can earn their share of the $250,000.
“I think every colt in the race is a step behind the best two colts, so the three that I have in there, I would like to see them all get a piece of the pie, and the bigger the better,” said the trainer. “This is supposed to be the glamour boy division for Ontario so they’re all going to be going, they’re all going to be racing, hopefully things happen and my three can all pick up good pieces.”
Sportsmanship will start from Post 2 for Kenneth Ewen of Georgetown, Denis Breton of Welland, Thomas Kyron of Toronto and Parkinson Farms of Lucan, Ont., getting the driving services of Jody Jamieson. The Sportswriter gelding finished the season in ninth spot in the standings and Menary expects an off-the-pace effort from the winner of $109,890.
Robert Hill and Tim Tetrick will start from Post 3 and Menary expects another solid effort from the game pacer. Hamilton resident Tom Hill owns the Jeremes Jet gelding, who has banked $172,790.
The final member of Menary’s three-year-old pacing trio is division point leader J Js Delivery, who posted one win, one second, two thirds and one fifth in the regular season to tally 104 points. The Jeremes Jet gelding battled hard all season and the trainer does not expect things to change in the season finale.
“It’s just been ultra-tough all year. He’s gone a lot of hard trips and he’s been going a long time,” said Menary, who trains the winner of $222,031 for owner-breeder Robert Hamather of Exeter, Ont. and will entrust the lines to James MacDonald. “I think from the eight-hole we’re going to be going for it. We’ve given him a lot of hard trips; I don’t think we’re going to stop now.”
In addition to being treated to eight outstanding Super Final battles on Saturday evening, Woodbine Racetrack fans will also receive an Ontario Sires Stakes ball cap with their program purchase. The evening’s first race will head postward at 7:25 p.m., with the eight $250,000 Super Finals featured in Races 2, 3, and 5 through 10.
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at Woodbine, click the following link: Saturday Entries – Woodbine Racetrack.
(OSS)