Prestidigitator's victory in the $300,000 Super Final for three-year-old trotting colts closed out an excellent season for trainer Dustin Jones and Montreal's Ecurie Synergie (Serge Godin), the leading individual standardbred owner on the Woodbine Entertainment Group circuit this season for money won.
But Jones said it also underscored the terrific year driver Sylvain Filion is having, one worthy of an O'Brien Award nomination, in his book.
Filion won two Super Finals on Saturday, the other with three-year-old trotting filly Smarty Pants. Two weeks earlier, he'd been the only Canadian-based driver to win a Breeders' Crown final at Woodbine with two-year-old trotting colt Wheeling N Dealin, who he guided to a perfect 9-for-9 season for Jones and Godin. He's had a superb year with his father Yves' top pacing mare Rebeka Bayama and drove Intimidate to victory in a Breeders' Crown elimination, which allowed his owners to choose their post position for the final (won by Intimidate for driver Ron Pierce). Prior to the Super Final victory, Filion and Prestidigitator had teamed up for three Ontario Sires Stakes Gold final victories.
Though drivers Jody Jamieson and Scott Zeron are ahead of him in money won, Filion is not far back at $7.7 million and has won more races.
"If he doesn't get nominated for driver of the year, I'll be disappointed," said Jones, who's had a few disappointments, but not many, this year.
Prestidigitator and Wheeling N Dealin give him a strong base for next year, and he was active at the Harrisburg and Lexington sales, reinvesting almost $1 million of Ecurie Synergie's winnings in 11 yearlings. "If we can get two top ones and three or four decent ones, next year might be even better," Jones said.
(A Trot Insider Exclusive by Paul Delean)
Congradulations to Dustin for
Congradulations to Dustin for a job very well done, to Sylvain for those wondurfull drives and to Mr. Serge Godin for his love of the standardbred racing industry. Have a nice day.