Twenty-one-year-old trainer Tom Riley will be sending forth Hudson Gal, a three-year-old pacing filly, to Woodbine Racetrack's $25,000 eliminations for the Ontario Sired Autumn Series this Friday, and the young
conditioner has spoken with the Woodbine Entertainment Group publicity department regarding the lass.
“She’s taken all year to get a win, but every week now she’s been getting sharper and racier,” Riley said about Hudson Gal, a daughter of Astreos.
“We were kind of shocked that she is 5-2 going into Friday’s elimination, but she’s a nice filly and she’s getting the hang of the bigger track at Woodbine. She’s not really a half-mile horse. Randy (Waples), who drives for me when I come to Toronto, said it might take her five or six starts to get used to the style of racing there, and that’s turned out to be true.”
Riley calls Kawartha Downs his home track, but seems to be having good luck in the 'Big Smoke.' Hudson Gal scored the first win of her sophomore season on November 12 at Woodbine in a new personal best clocking of 1:54.1. The performance came five days after she recorded an eight-length triumph in a Kawartha Downs qualifier.
The filly was to have followed that up with another start at Woodbine, but when heavy fog forced the card’s cancellation last week, Riley opted to take in another KD qualifier, which Hudson Gal also won handily.
Having drawn post 2 in a short field of seven for Friday's test doesn’t hurt, either.
“Normally, she doesn’t leave all that well,” Riley said, “but with that post position and a seven-horse field, she should be okay. The main thing is to get into the final.”
Two flights of pacing fillies will go postward on Friday in hopes to gain entrance to the final of the Ontario Sired Autumn Series division, which is slated for Friday, December 4.
The elims have been carded as Races 1 and 2. First-race post time is 7:30 p.m.
To view the harness racing entries for Friday's card of live racing at Woodbine, click here.
(With files from WEG)