While racing at odds of 19-1 on May 23 during in an Ontario Sires Stakes Gold final, Random Destiny and her trainer-driver Riina Rekila posted an impressive upset over the O'Brien Award-winning trotting filly Poof Shes Gone. Can one of Rekila's pupils turn the trick once again
in Friday's Casual Breeze Stakes at Mohawk Racetrack? A modest Rekila isn't so sure.
Although Random Destiny is in to contest one of the three $75,000 divisions for the three-year-old lasses, she is not aligned to slay the dragon once again. This time it is another of Rekila's fillies, Christiana Hanover, who will be looking to perform the feat.
Although, when asked by the Woodbine Entertainment Group whether or not she thinks Christiana Hanover, a daughter of Andover Hall, can defeat Poof Shes Gone in the Casual Breeze, Rekila took the high road.
"I don't think so, but we’ll try to get a good race into her and hopefully get a cheque," she said. "We'll see. It's difficult to compare her to these other fillies just yet, but we'll see on Friday."
Rekila will be in the race bike behind Christiana Hanover from Post 3 in the first of the Casual Breeze divisions (Race 3, 8:10 p.m.). The pair has been assessed at odds of 10-1 on the morning line. Poof Shes Gone, with driver Dave Miller in the bike, has been installed as the heavy 2-5 choice from Post 1.
In her last pari-mutuel test, which came at the Meadows on June 3, Christiana Hanover notched her first win of the 2010 season with a 1:56.1 mile in a $40,500 division of the Currier and Ives. Rekila was in the driver's seat for the mile.
The trainer explained during the WEG interview that many seemed to overlook the filly at the 2008 Harrisburg Yearling Sale, where she proved to be a steal at $11,000.
"She had quite a prominent vein going through the leg there," Rekila explained "Everyone was thinking that it was a bowed tendon or that there was something wrong with the tendon. Esa (co-owner Esa Lahtinen) asked about it and I said that some horses have a quite prominent vein."
In terms of the giant killer herself, Random Destiny will be contesting the second of the Casual Breeze divisions (Race 5, 8:50 p.m.). She and Rekila have been installed as the 7-1 fourth selection on the morning line from Post 5.
When asked how she was coming into the dash, Rekila conveyed that she was optimistic about the daughter of Ken Warkentin. "I think she should be like she was last time, and hopefully a little bit better, but we never know. They are horses, so we'll see what happens, but I think that she will be in a good condition."
The third of the divisions has been carded as Race 9 (10:10 p.m.) and will feature a full field of 10.
To view the entries for Mohawk's Friday program of racing, click here.