A pair of Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Finals and a quartet of Middlesex County Series Finals headlined the richest program of Western Fair Raceway’s fall meet
on Saturday, November 7. A total of $488,600 in purses was up for grabs.
After finishing second to Random Destiny in her OSS Gold elimination for two-year-old filly trotters last week, Wilsonator decided to call all the shots in tonight’s $130,000 final. Sylvain Filion directed the 4-1 third choice to the lead from Post 3 and carved out panels of :29.4, 1:00.3 and 1:30.2 en route to a one length score in 2:00. The time of the mile equaled the track record held by Bella Dolce.
A pocket-sitting Emmylou Who (Lyle MacArthur) finished second with longshot Daria Hall (Doug Brown) coming on for third over favourite Random Destiny (Riina Rekila), who travelled first-over but broke stride before the wire.
Rob Fellow trains Wilsonator, a winner of three races in 11 starts and $174,800. The daughter of Kadabra-Sahalee is owned and bred by Michael Pozefsky of Gloversville, New York and Edward Wilson of Seagrave, Ont. Wilsonator will head to the OSS Super Final next Saturday, November 14 at Woodbine Racetrack after finishing second in the division standings with 230 points.
In the $130,000 OSS Gold final for two-year-old pacing colts, Keystone Raptor, who finished second to Bp Chimo in his elimination one week ago, pulled off a 13-1 upset while his favoured entrymate Grin For Money struggled from the outside Post 7. Jack Moiseyev and the Astreos-Miss Rose colt followed Post 1 starter Brusiers Brother (Trevor Henry) from the trailing eight-hole through stations of :28.2, :57.3 and 1:26.1 while Adrenaline (Brad Forward) led the outside advancers. Using a :29.2 final quarter, Keystone Raptor angled out and nipped the pacesetter at the wire for the 1:55.4 score by half a length. Windsong Gorgeous (Anthony MacDonald) closed for third.
“He got a really good trip and got lucky to get out,” said Moiseyev in the winner’s circle. “It was going to be tight but Brad’s horse looked like he was getting tired.”
John Kopas trains and owns the winner of two races in 12 starts and $154,555 with partners John Fielding and Clay Harland Horner of Toronto and High Stakes Inc. of Moffat, Ont.
“I’m not surprised this colt won,” said Kopas. “With the post he had and everything, I thought he had a good shot.”
“Its always special when you come home,” he added. “This place has always been good to the Kopas family.”
Keystone Raptor, now fifth in the division standings with 120 points, will head to the Super Final next week as well. Stablemate Grin For Money also advances to the $300,000 event having earned 180 points.
The Middlesex County Series, for four-year-old and younger Ontario-sired trotters and pacers who were non-winners of $10,000 lifetime as of September 15, featured two preliminary legs in each division and the top eight money-earners advanced to their respective finals tonight.
Another Vixen pulled off a series sweep in the $49,900 final for trotting fillies and mares after turning back multiple challengers en route to the wire in 1:59.4. The 3-5 favourite and trainer/driver Shane Weber fired off the gate from the rail with Oughta Be Adorable (Ron Waples) driving on from the three post. Oughta Be Adorable, however, succumbed to the pressure making a break before the :29 first quarter. As Another Vixen raced past the half in 1:00.3, Early Bird (Brad Forward) matched her strides, but the three-year-old daughter of Kadabra-Armbro Vixen kicked away en route to the third quarter station in 1:29.4 and powered home for the five and a quarter length score.
Early Bird stayed for second and Princess Leah (Nick Steward) rounded out the top three.
“I love racing and I love coming to London,” said Tom Rankin, who purchased Another Vixen two years ago at the Forest City Sale for $70,000 with his wife, Elizabeth.
Rankin also acknowledged Dr. Hayes and trainer Shane Weber for getting his filly back to the track quickly with a swimming routine after suffering a minor injury in a race on May 31 at Woodbine Racetrack.
The win was Another Vixen’s fifth in 10 starts this season lifting her earnings to $72,385.
In line to Mike Sumner, Smashbox held it together despite enduring broken equipment in the stretch to sweep the pacing series for fillies and mares. The 2-5 bettor’s choice fired off a :28.2 opening quarter before she was met with a challenge from the parked out Presentingpatricia (Sylvain Filion) heading past the half in :58.4. Refusing to give way, Smashbox took off down the backstretch and after reaching three-quarters in 1:28.1, she coasted to a three-length triumph in 1:58.1 with broken hopples.
Mistreos (Anthony Haughan) finished second and Angels First Cammi (Thomas Smith) was third.
“I don’t know [what happened]. I noticed she stepped out of a hopple in the stretch and her ear plugs fell out at the half. Everything fell off, but me,” joked Sumner.
Smashbox, a three-year-old daughter of Mach Three-Sunone, overcame her equipment troubles to earn his fifth straight win and sixth of the season in eight starts. Her earnings now total $47,024 for trainer Larry Ainsworth and owners Larry Ainsworth of Petrolia, Ont., Bill Boden of Vancouver, B.C. and Martwest Racing Stable of Mississauga, Ont., who purchased her for $30,000 at the Forest City Sale.
The favourites continued to fare well in the $48,400 trotting series final for colts and geldings. At odds of 6-5, Once A Thief and trainer/driver Greg Dustin fired to an early two and a half length advantage from Post 2 and reached the first quarter in :30.4, but Lindy For Life (Terry Kerr) swept to command shortly after. The new leader rolled to the half in 1:02 before Eastoaklane (Doug McNair) pulled up alongside him at three-quarters in 1:32.4. Lindy For Life gave Eastoaklane the cold shoulder in the stretch, but couldn’t hold off a pocket pulling Once A Thief, who used a :29.1 final frame to come on for the quarter-length triumph in a career-best 2:02.1. All In Gass (Reg Gassien) finished five lengths back in third.
After the race, Dustin admited the trip worked out as planned for his charge. “Terry [Kerr and Lindy For Life] was the one to beat I thought so I wanted to let him go.”
“He [Once A Thief] gets around these little places pretty good,” he added.
The winning three-year-old son of Dr Ronerail-Personal won his first leg division but finished sixth in second round action after making a break. The victory tonight was Once A Thief’s fourth in 13 starts this season pushing his earnings to $43,000. Breeder Roy Knight of St. Thomas, Ont. shares ownership of the colt with Gerald Crossan of London, Ont.
Fit For Will matched his 1:58.2 mark using front-end tactics in the $49,600 final for pacing colts and geldings. The 3-2 second choice and driver Alvin Hamilton battled the slight favourite Larjon Barty (Trevor Henry) to the opening quarter in :28 while the rest of the field remained gapped back six and a half lengths. With the inside advantage, Fit For Will pressed on as Larjon Barty filled the back seat. From there, the Fit For Life-Ruby Raze four-year-old led the field past the half in :58.1 and three-quarters in 1:27.4 before crossing under the wire in 1:58.2 with nearly three lengths to spare.
Larjon Barty stayed for second with Bounce Ahead (Jeff O’Brien) finishing third.
Fit For Will was also a first leg winner, but finished fifth in his most recent preliminary leg.
Hamilton confirmed that his gelding had lots left in the tank following the win and explained Fit For Life’s off the board finish last week. “I was buried in behind a horse that had a lot of speed last week.”
When faced with an early challenge in tonight’s final, Hamilton revealed how he maintained the lead. “I told him to get behind me,” he smiled.
Brian Allen owns and trains the winner of four races in 13 starts and $45,580.
To view Saturday’s harness racing results, click here.