The third time was the charm for two-year-old trotter, Zorgwijk Kingpin, who after placing second and third in two previous Ontario Sires Stakes $130,000 Gold finals, made this one his own Friday at Woodbine Racetrack
.
Randy Waples sent Bob McIntosh trainee, Text Me, to the lead off the wings, with Wayne Henry and Pointe To Pointe drafting in his wake. Zorgwijk Kingpin, sent off as the even-money favourite, played a waiting game in fourth, through fractions of :27.3, :58.0, and 1:27.1 for Trevor Ritchie, then came charging late in the stretch to nip Text Me by three-quarters of a length in 1:56.1, a new lifetime mark.
A determined Text Me grabbed the place spot, while good late speed from Keystone Swagger (Sylvain Filion) secured third.
A flashy chrome-endowed chestnut, Zorgwijk Kingpin was a bargain $3,700 yearling purchase for Ronnie MacLean (who also trains), Scot Wood, Joseph Serratore, and Murray Neilson. The gelded son of Southwind Lustre has now earned in excess of $200,000 for his connections and boasts a record of four wins, three seconds, and a third in nine career starts.
The win positions Zorgwijk Kingpin as the likely favourite in next Saturday’s OSS Super Finals event for rookie colt and gelding trotters.
In Open action, Al Libfeld’s homebred trotter Define The World earned a new lifetime mark and inched closer to the million dollar mark with a 7-1 surprise. With Paul MacDonell in the bike, the four-year-old Duke Of York-Venice Holiday gelding left alertly from the outside Post 7 and sprinted to the first quarter in :27.1 before yielding to favourite Armbro Chronicle (Jody Jamieson). After playing follow the leader through middle splits of :56.2 and 1:25.4, Define The World angled out in the stretch and came flying wide around the first-over Merited Victory (Rick Zeron) for the one length score in 1:53.2.
Merited Victory stayed for second and Slave Dream (Sylvain Filion) closed well for third over Armbro Chronicle.
Define The World notched his fifth win in 21 seasonal starts and pushed his earnings over the $200,000 mark. The John Bax pupil sports 19 victories on his career record with earning equaling $957,481.
For the third straight week Dreamfair Eternal delivered on her pari-mutuel promise with an off the pace score in the $44,000 Fillies & Mares Open Pace. Randy Waples dropped the five-year-old Camluck-J Cs Nathalie mare in fourth from a Post 2 start while Southwind Madonna (Lyle MacArthur) fired off the rail and laid down a :27-second opener. The field of seven stayed in line to the half-mile mark of :56.1 before Dreamfair Eternal angled out. The 3-5 fan favourite advanced through three-quarters in 1:24.2 and swept past the leader in deep stretch. Dreamfair Eternal stopped the clock in 1:51.4.
Arts Diva (Paul MacDonell) finished one and quarter lengths behind while Crystal Chris (Jody Jamieson) came on for third.
Pat Fletcher trains the winner of 14 races in 27 starts and $545,420 for owners and breeders John and Mary Lamers of Ingersoll, Ont. Dreamfair Eternal’s 26th career victory boosted her bankroll to $689,415.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click here.
(With files from WEG)