The City Of London Trotting Series continued with three $7,500 divisions for colts and geldings and a pair of matching splits for fillies and mares during an action-packed Friday night card at Western Fair Raceway
. After winning both his first and second leg divisions, Berndt Reynolds will be looking for a series sweep in the colt and gelding section.
With one of the first leg winner’s Aguyinahorsesuit scratched, the field for the opening male division was reduced to five. Tymal Tyme (Wayne Henry) recovered from a break behind the gate and jumped out to a three-length lead from Post 6 but eventually gave way to K H Carlton and driver Dave Wall, the 2-1 second choice. Four Twenty Seven (Gord Rayner) went first up at the half and applied pressure past three-quarters with K H Carlton moving three-wide around the final bend and rushing home to win by 1-3/4 lengths in 2:02.1. The three-year-old son of Shipps Speed-Lead Me To Glory, who finished fifth in his first leg split, scored his fourth win in nine tries this year for trainer Dean Wall and owners Karl Horvath of Strathroy and the Wall Tyme Stables of Komoka, ON. Four Twenty Seven finished third.
Driven by Scott Zeron, Indigo Hall endured constant pressure from start to finish by Xactafate Loral (Anthony MacDonald) while the rest of the field trailed by multiple lengths in the second split, which was also reduced to a field of five with the scratch of Rebel Rapids. The 5-2 second choice held his challenger at bay to win in 2:00.1 by a length with Tequilaamigo (Randy Fritz) finishing over six lengths back in third. The victory was Indigo Hall’s second in six starts this year for trainer David Haney, who shares ownership of the homebred Angus Hall-Purple Onion three-year-old with Lawrence Smith of Elmira and Keith Palmateer of Waterloo, ON.
In the final colt division, Ross Battin sent the favoured Berndt Reynolds to the top at the first quarter mark after getting away second. He turned back a challenge from Laredo Seelster (Bruce Richardson) and hung on for the victory over the pocket-sitter Aztec Seelster (Jody Jamieson) in a photo finish. The 2:00.2 clocking was a new lifetime best for the three-year-old son of Berndt Hanover-Direct Dial, who is trained by Bob McIntosh. Kentastic (Anthony MacDonald) went wide to challenge and finished third. Berndt Reynolds has won of five out of 11 starts during his debut season for Robert McIntosh Stables of Windsor, Dave Boyle of Bowmanville, ON and C S X Stables of Liberty Center, Ohio.
Bank Of Ballykeel pulled off a 30-1 upset in the first filly and mare division as Doug McNair sent the longshot to the lead from Post 6 and never looked back en route to a 2:02.3 victory by a length. Rebas Song (Fred Jamieson) went wide around the favoured My Senorita (Donald Harmon), a first leg winner who made a break from first over, to place. The pocket-sitter Ramona K (Randy Fritz) finished third. The three-year-old daughter of Banker Hall-Frost On The Gate won for the first time in three starts for trainer Cameron McKnight and Ballykeel Racing of Tillsonburg, ON.
Western Fair’s finale, the other filly and mare split, went to the popular Hope Seelster. The Paul Reid pupil advanced to the lead from fourth after the first quarter with David Miller and went on to score in 2:03 by a length over Oaklea Roz (Doug McNair) with So Precious K (Trevor Henry) finishing third. The three-year-old Mr Lavec-Haveyoubeentoparis filly, who is owned by Scott Maracle of Brantford, ON, is now two-for-three this year.
The series, for Ontario sired trotters that are non-winners of $10,000 lifetime as of midnight April 1, 2010, will wrap up next Friday, May 28.
Tonight's card also featured three eliminations for the $310,000 Molson Pace and three elims for the $130,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold final for three-year-old pacing fillies. Both finals will also take place next week.
To view Friday’s results, click here.