Macho Martini returned to the Ontario Sires Stakes winner’s circle on Thursday at Flamboro Downs with an effortless 1:58.1 score in the lone $157,200 two-year-old trotting colt Gold Series division.
“I was actually a little bit concerned. I’ve never gone with him over a half. Luc’s (Blais) got a tight half-mile turn on his training track at the farm and he was confident, but I just didn’t know,” said driver Bob McClure. “Two-year-old trotters are a little tough to get around those tracks and then you throw in the rail, that’s one of the last spots I would have wanted with him, but he never missed a beat, just one-two-three-four. We just got away safe, and sat in the hole, and moved when they moved and he did the rest.”
From Post 1 McClure settled the fan favourite in second, sitting behind Sweet Soul David as that trotter led the field of nine to a :29 quarter. Macho Martini continued to track Sweet Soul David through the :59.1 half and when McClure tipped him to the outside heading by the 1:29 three-quarters the pair were in no rush to get around the pacesetter. As the leaders squared up in the stretch McClure asked Macho Martini for a bigger gear and the colt easily opened up a one and one-quarter length margin on his peers. Master Grand slipped up the passing lane to be second and Sweet Soul David stayed game for third.
“He’s quite the professional,” said Rockwood, ON resident McClure. “And I would say that he’s as fresh as he was when he started the year, which is typical of Luc Blais horses. They’re as good at the end as they are at the start. He’s very good at managing them that way.”
Campbellville, ON resident Luc Blais trains Macho Martini for Determination of Montreal, QC. Thursday’s win was the colt’s fourth in Gold Series action and his eighth in 10 lifetime starts. The only blemish on the Muscle Mass son’s Ontario Sires Sakes record came in the Sept. 19 Gold leg at Woodbine Mohawk Park when he made a break in the stretch after another colt made a break and veered into his path.
“I was worried when he made the break. You always worry they will jump on their legs and hurt themselves you know, but we’re lucky, he came back very well. He looks good tonight,” said Blais. “That’s a good feeling.”
With 200 points, Macho Martini leads the two-year-old trotting colts into the Oct. 17 Super Final at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The top 10 point earners will compete in the $250,000 season finale and Blais said the colt’s performance in that event will determine whether his freshman campaign comes to a close or carries on for a few more starts.
“We’re going to see after that, how is he after that. He’ll have almost 11, 12 races this year. It’s lots of races for a two-year-old,” said the trainer. “It just depends how he feels. We don’t decide, he decides if he wants to race again.”
To view results for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results – Flamboro Downs.