The Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series wrapped up an exciting 2009 season on Saturday with eight $300,000 divisional Super Finals at Woodbine Racetrack
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The offspring of Western Terror dominated the pacing divisions winning three of the four Super Finals, while sire Angus Hall swept the three-year-old trots and Kadabra swept the two-year-old trots.
Shacked Up Stars For Brainard, Bulletproof
Saturday evening’s first $300,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final featured three-year-old fillies on the pace and it was 6-5 favourite Shacked Up who prevailed over her four stablemates.
Not Enough (Mark MacDonald) stepped up to the plate from Post 6 with Shacked Up and Luc Ouellette, from Post 5, tucking in behind through a first quarter in :27 seconds. Ouellette made the winning move shortly after the opening station and improved his position by the half in :56.2. Once in command, the daughter of Western Terror-Sapphire Dawn rolled to three-quarters in 1:24.4 and sprinted home in :26.4 for the 1:51.3 triumph.
A rough gaited Not Enough pulled the pocket with an eighth of a mile to go and ended up on a length and three-quarters behind in second while Cheap Motel (Jody Jamieson) advanced first over to get third. Kabbalah Karen B (Jim Morrill, Jr.) and Coming Late (David Miller) earned the remaining cheques and completed the sweep for trainer Tracy Brainard and the Bulletproof Enterprises of Boca Raton, Florida.
"I thought I'd make the move to the front just because Not Enough didn't look so great in the qualifier,” commented Ouellette following his sixth Super Final victory. “She looked better tonight, but I kept thinking back to that qualifier. I got a cheap half, and she was well in hand at the end.
"She loves her work, and wants to go. It may be a blessing that she's on the smaller side over this longer season, and that she was also able to stay healthy."
With the win, Shacked Up improved her seasonal record to 8-4-3 in 17 starts and lifted her earnings to $851,187. She has earned two OSS Gold final victories this season on August 8 at Mohawk and October 9 at Woodbine. The winner of 12 races lifetime has banked $983,987 to date.
New Record & Milestone For Poof Shes Gone
Breeders Crown winner Poof Shes Gone set a new track and stakes record and earned millionaire status Saturday night at Woodbine Racetrack with a victory in her division of the $300,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final and in doing so joined the elite company of Snow White as the only two-year-old trotting fillies to reach the coveted milestone.
Emmylou Who (Lyle MacArthur) reached up to claim the early lead over Wilsonator (Sylvain Filion) while 1-5 favourite Poof Shes Gone and David Miller dropped in sixth from a Post 9 start. After a :27.3 opening quarter, Wilsonator pulled the pocket and landed on top, but her lead was short lived as Poof Shes Gone powered up past the half in :58.1. The daughter of Kadabra-Travelin Superlite rolled to three-quarters in 1:26.4 and drew clear down the lane to score in dominating fashion. Poof Shes Gone lowered her own track record time by one-fifth of second to 1:55.3.
Wilsonator finished four lengths behind in second and Windcross (Stephen Byron) was third.
"Well she's just something else, David [Miller] never even popped the plugs, she's not even blowing. She should go out and race against the three-year-olds later tonight, she's unbelievable," said Toronto's John Fielding, who shares ownership with Melvin Hartman of Ottawa, Ont., Herb Liverman of Miami Beach, Florida and David McDuffee of Nashua, New Hampshire.
"She's gone over a million in earnings tonight, my partners are great guys, the crew did a fantastic job, she's been awesome since June. She's a dream, her and stablemate Costa Rica, who just won the Matron, have been unreal.
"I want to thank everyone at WEG for the great job they do here, this is harness racing at its best."
Trained by Richard ‘Nifty’ Norman, Poof Shes Gone, a winner of the August 31 Gold final at Mohawk, now sports a record reading 10-1-1 in 12 starts and boasts $1,076,326 in earnings.
Text Me Goes Wire-To-Wire
Using front-end tactics, Text Me pulled off a mild upset in the $300,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack.
Under the guidance of Randy Waples, 5-2 second choice Text Me left alertly from Post 6 and rolled to the first quarter in :28.2 before taking a second quarter breather. The half was up in :58.4, followed by three-quarters in 1:27.4 with Text Me rolling strong with at least two lengths on the field.
In the stretch, the pocket-sitting Grumpy Jake (Jack Moiseyev) tried to haul down the pacesetter but was only able to come within a three-quarters of a length. Text Me coasted under the wire in a career-best clocking of 1:56.2. Zorgwijk Kingpin (Trevor Ritchie), the 3-5 favourite, journeyed first over to get third.
“Randy [Waples] drove a great race, pace makes the race,” said trainer, co-owner and breeder Bob McIntosh. “This horse is so handy, you can leave with him and then ask him and he'll come right back to you. Randy put them to sleep behind tonight.
"This group is so tight, any number of them could win any given week. My colt was fortunate enough to do it tonight."
Breeder C S X Stables of Liberty Center, Ohio and Dave Boyle of Bowmanville, Ont. also share ownership of the winning colt.
"It's extra special to win with a homebred,” continued McIntosh. “When I brought him in last year I didn't think much of him as he wasn't much of a looker but it just goes to show you that looks can be deceiving.
"The OSS program is easily the best in the world, flat out. It's been tremendous to me, the breeders and the fans."
The Kadabra-Dial Nial colt has earned three wins – including a victory in the Gold final at Mohawk on August 30 – seven seconds and two thirds in 13 seasonal starts. Text Me now sports a bankroll totaling $377,126.
Code Word Pulls Off ‘Super’ Surprise
Full of late pace, two-year-old colt Code Word came flying from the backfield for a 25-1 shocker in his $300,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final on Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack.
Future Million (Simon Allard) sprinted to lead from Post 2 with the five-horse Bp Chimo (Phil Hudon) wide and driving on to claim the top spot at the :26.3 first quarter.
During the second interval, Grin For Money (Sylvain Filion) tipped to the outside from fourth, with his stablemate Keystone Raptor (Jack Moiseyev) following, and was in control at the half in :55.4.
Meanwhile, Code Word and Rick Zeron had got away near the back of the pack from Post 7 and was spotted fourth-over.
On the front, Grin For Money and Keystone Raptor hooked up in a duel as they raced past three-quarters in 1:22.3 and headed down the stretch. With a blast of speed (a :27 final quarter), Code Word sprinted past them all in the final strides on the far outside for the upset in a career-best 1:51.3.
Bp Chimo finished a length behind in second over Keystone Raptor.
"I kind of floated him off the gate, I was trying to get away sixth or seventh,” explained Zeron in a trackside interview. “I knew we were flying around the third quarter, I thought I had a shot at the head of the lane, and my colt kicked in real good."
Tony O'Sullivan trains the winning son of Western Terror-Numberone Treasure for John Fielding of Toronto, Ont. and John Carver of Moline, Illinois.
"Tony kept telling John this colt will get there, he's got good potential and good heart and he did it tonight."
Code Word’s second lifetime win boosted her bankroll to $201,090.
Shipps Xpectancy Inherits Super Final Victory
Ideal Race crossed the wire first in the Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final for the glamour boys Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack, but Shipps Xpectancy inherited the lion’s share of the $300,000 purse following a judges’ placing.
Primary Purpose (Mark MacDonald) left from Post 7 and settled on top ahead of Ideal Race (David Miller) en route to the first quarter in :26.1. The field reached the half in :54.4 and at that point Ideal Race popped the pocket, but second-guessed that move. As Ideal Race tried to tuck back into the two-hole he caused interference to Shady Cam (Jason Brewer) in behind.
Meanwhile, Stonebridge Terror (Mike Saftic) had advanced from fifth and applied pressure to the leader past three-quarters in 1:22.2. Primary Purpose fought back, but was faced with more challengers in the stretch. Ideal Race slipped up the rail and crossed under the wire in 1:50.2 while 6-5 favourite Shipps Xpentancy and Jack Moiseyev rallied from third-over to finish a half-length behind in second forcing Primary Purpose to settle for third.
As a result of causing interference in the backstretch, Ideal Race was placed back to seventh. Shipps Xpectancy was deemed the winner with Primary Purpose bumped up to second and Lyons Horace (Randy Waples) bumped from fourth to third.
"The 'ship' came in," said owner Harold Shipp of Mississauga, Ont. "Down the stretch I thought we were going to win, I was disappointed with finishing second but that's why it's a horse race.
"Look at his name: Xpectancy. We've had that this entire time, I've always been proud and had high hopes for him and I have high hopes for his future.
"John [Kopas] has been my trainer for over 10 years. I'm very pleased, I have trusted John and it's a great relationship."
A winner of five races in 17 starts this year, the son of Mach Three-Armbro Purse has earned $245,119. The victory was Shipp Xpectancy’s eighth overall and bumped his lifetime earnings to $466,793.
I Wont Dance Has The Winning Moves
Two-time Gold champion I Wont Dance wriggled up the rail to snatch the $300,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings in a career-best effort at odds of 9-1 Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack.
Trevor Ritchie sent I Wont Dance, the bettor's fifth choice, to the top from the outside Post 10 in a :27.2 opener. Hitithard (Mike Saftic) managed to recover from an early miscue and reached up to take control with Hour Lavec (Paul MacDonell) on the move from third.
As the half flashed up in :56.2, Hour Lavec landed the lead while Hitithard broke stride again taking himself out of contention. Hour Lavec trotted on while 2-1 favourite Equity (Jack Moiseyev) applied pressure on the outside past the three-quarter mark of 1:25.4.
In the stretch, Equity pulled ahead, but I Wont Dance ducked in between horses and nosed out Striking Lindsey (Doug McNair), who rallied on the far outside for second. Equity finished a half-length back in third. The 1:54.2 winning time was a new lifetime mark for I Wont Dance.
"He can leave about as fast as a pacer, he'll always get position," said trainer Per Henriksen in the winner's circle. "Trevor almost gave me a heart attack when he didn't get a lane at the head of the stretch but he got room. He never even had to pull the plugs on him.
"He's done for the year, he might come back at four or race in Europe, that would be my suggestion."
The M Biasuzzi Stable Inc. of Ft. Pierce, Florida owns I Wont Dance, an Angus Hall-Do Si Do Hanover colt who has won eight of his 19 starts this year earning $393,442.
Fbs Terror Makes Hearts Beat
Fbs Terror claimed the lead early on and managed to hold off her fellow two-year-old pacing fillies to capture her $300,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final on Saturday night at Woodbine Racetrack.
Fbs Terror, with driver Scott Zeron, left alertly from Post 5 and fired off a :26.1 opening quarter with St Lads Trixie (Simon Allard) and Tiz To Dream (Doug McNair) hot on her heels.
Fbs Terror, the 5-1 third choice, charged to the half in :55.1 while Western Silk (Mark MacDonald) rolled up from fourth and looked her in the eye. But the leader maintained her cool and pressed on. She passed the three-quarters mark in 1:23.2 and then held off St Lads Trixie, Tiz To Dream and 3-2 favourite Higher And Higher (Jim Morrill, Jr.) for the half-length victory in a career-best 1:53.1.
"It's a feeling you can't really describe, our hearts are all just beating,” said co-owner Mileo Monte. “We thought we could win and beat Western Silk. There were a lot of butterflies, we thought she could come home strong."
Mario Macri trains the winning daughter of Western Terror-Speedy Shopper for owners Michael Guerriero and FB Racing of Moffat, Ont.
"Mario's a great trainer, very knowledgeable and I have to give him all the credit. Hopefully our filly comes back strong and we'll be here next year.
"Scott's done an excellent job for us,” he added. “We've stuck with him from the second or third race on and he's paid his dues with us."
With a record of 4-3-3 in 14 starts this year, Fbs Terror has banked $367,186 for her connections.
Elusive Desire Is 'Super' Again
Three-year-old trotting filly Elusive Desire made a backstretch brush en route to capturing her second Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final title on Saturday night at Woodbine Racetrack.
With the inner advantage, Post 5 starter Novelty As (Jody Jamieson) established the early lead ahead Friendly Amigo (Bruce Richardson), who left alertly from the outside spot. After reaching the first quarter in :26.2, Paul MacDonell released the 1-5 favourite Elusive Desire and she effortlessly brushed to command from third. The millionaire daughter of Angus Hall-Valley Amber carved out the remaining panels of :56.2 and 1:26 before coasting home for the 1:54.1 triumph.
Novelty As was the runner-up finishing on length and a half behind while Friendly Amigo finished over seven lengths back in third.
“She says it all on the track,” said trainer Mike Keeling after the race. “She's gone 31 starts and never threw aclunker in. For a trotting filly it amazes me.
“It makes you want to go to work to train a horse like this. She has a personality too - in the barn she makes us laugh. She makes my job real easy, she loves the work and loves to race. Training, no; racing, yes.
"[The OSS program] is bar none the best in the world, you don't have to be a brilliant guy to figure that out," continued Keeling.
Elusive Desire has put together a record reading 11-2-3 this year earning $890,444 for owners P C Wellwood Enterprises Inc. of Cambridge, Charles Armstrong of Brampton and Robert Fasken of Oakville, Ont. Her two Gold final victories came on July 11 at Georgian Downs on July 11 and on October 10 Kawartha Downs.
"She might race next week here in the Trillium,” said Keeling. “That was a big effort tonight, we'll see how she comes out of it. She's going to North Carolina now and the plan is to race her next year."
Tonight’s win was Elusive Desire's 14th lifetime and pushed her bankroll to $1,286,348.
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