Luckcamotion picked the perfect time to deliver his first career victory as he upset the field in Friday night’s $63,200 final of The Count B Pacing Series for three-year-old colts and geldings at Woodbine Racetrack
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It was an action-packed affair from start to finish with outside starters Mambo Italiano (Paul MacDonell) and Come Back battling through a sizzling first fraction of :26.3 before Come Back was finally able to wrestle the lead for driver Jack Moiseyev. The top pair led the field through a brisk opening half of :54.4 with Luckcamotion sitting way back in ninth position for driver Sylvain Filion.
As the field raced into the far turn, Lake Shark and Mark MacDonald made an aggressive outside move, which towed Bruisers Brother (Mike Saftic) and Luckcamotion up into the race - second and third-over respectively - as the field passed the third marker in 1:24.1.
At the top of the stretch, Lake Shark wrestled the lead from a winded Come Back and began to edge clear of that rival with Bruisers Brother and Luckcamotion in hot pursuit. Luckcamotion proved to be livest of all in the late stages and was just able to nip Lake Shark right at the wire on 1:53. Bruisers Brother was close but had to settle for the show spot.
Luckcamotion returned a hefty $53.10 win ticket and triggered a superfecta worth $9,322.30.
The son of Camotion - Lady Luck K had gone winless in 14 career starts for trainer James Arledge prior to Friday’s victory. The lion’s share of the purse bumped his career earnings to just shy of the $60,000 mark for owner Robert Key of Leechburg, Pennsylvania.
Earlier on the card, 6-5 favourite Smashbox converted from the pocket to win the $20,000 opening leg of the Ontario Girls Pacing Series for four-year-old mares.
Rick Zeron (four winners on the program), fired the daughter of Mach Three - Sunone off the gate from Post 6 and she touched down on top at the :27.2 first quarter mark.
Down the backstretch, Mach Me Not (Jody Jamieson) brushed up from seventh and put up middle splits of :57.3 and 1:26 before Smashbox moved back out for more. Pacing home in :28.2, Smashbox swept on by for a 1:54.3 career-best victory by two and a quarter lengths.
Mach Me Not stayed for second and longshot Ocean Of Motion (Jason Brewer) finished third.
Smashbox is trained by Jim Ainsworth for owners Larry Ainsworth of Petrolia, Ont., Martwest Racing Stable of Mississauga, Ont. and Bill Boden of Vancouver, B.C. Unraced at two, the winner of over $90,000 lifetime has put together a record reading 8-3-2 in 15 starts.
To view Friday's results, click here.
(With files from WEG)