OK Fabulous is in deep for his Ontario Sires Stakes debut at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Sunday evening, but Dave MacDonald is hoping the colt’s natural ability and education will see him advance to next week’s Gold Final.
The two-year-old pacing colt, making just his second lifetime start, will line up at the trailing Post 9 in a 10 horse Gold Elimination that will see all but one colt earn a return ticket to the Ottawa oval.
“Well he’s got lots of experience behind the gate at the farm, and with other horses. We’re not expecting anything,” says Cornwall resident MacDonald. “The only thing is sometimes you don’t get a real crack at it from where you’re sitting, depending on how the gates fold and things unwind. But there’s a 10 horse in there and he’s going to be sitting beside us, so there’s going to be a lot of congestion when you’re getting out of there.
“One thing about it is we can’t get parked,” he adds with a chuckle. “I’ve got the right driver, Yves (Filion) is driving it looks like on Sunday night and he’s very good with young horses.”
Filion piloted OK Fabulous in his first lifetime start, a 1:59.4 victory at Rideau Carleton on July 5. In against a group of two-year-olds the colt simply circled to the front going by the quarter-mile marker and sailed home a three and one-quarter length winner. MacDonald and his partners Bayama Farms Inc. of Saint-Andre-D’Argenteuil, QC and Brian Paquet of Quebec, QC were pleased with the victory, but concerned that the colt has not clocked a mile as fast as his peers in Sunday’s contest.
The other nine colts have all clocked miles of 1:56.2 or faster, with those that competed in the first Gold Final of the season coming in at 1:53.3 or better. OK Fabulous recorded his personal best in a June 15 qualifier at Mohawk Racetrack, where he hit the wire in 1:57.1, two and a half lengths behind eventual Gold Final winner Tarpon Hanover, who is sitting out the second Gold Series.
“A horse left out and went ahead of him, but they were walking so he just circled him, and he just went as fast as he had to go,” notes MacDonald. “It’s not a true test of what the capabilities of the horse are. Like the start on Sunday night, you know he’s definitely going to be outside as far as the odds go because his times don’t reflect what the rest of the field is.”
The other nine colts have all clocked miles of 1:56.2 or faster, with those that competed in the first Gold Final of the season coming in at 1:53.3 or better. OK Fabulous recorded his personal best in a June 15 qualifier at Mohawk Racetrack, where he hit the wire in 1:57.1, two and a half lengths behind eventual Gold Final winner Tarpon Hanover, who is sitting out the second Gold Series.
Justin Filion handles training duties on the son of Jeremes Jet and $129,611 winner CC Stacy, who was a $25,000 yearling purchase at last fall’s Forest City Yearling Sale. The group selected the colt based on his conformation and breeding and hope the youngster can continue the positive progress he has made since arriving in the Filion barn.
“All winter the horse has showed very well, he’s a good size, and we had no problems with him training down,” says MacDonald. “The trainer that I have, the Filion family, these guys are very patient people, and they’re not maniacs when it comes to starting the horse to find out how much you really have. They’re more interested in making racehorses than having something that can go quick for a few starts and then not pan out at the end of the day.”
OK Fabulous only needs to be quicker than one of his peers on Sunday to earn a return invitation to Rideau Carleton for the July 22 Gold Final.
In addition to the two-year-old pacing colt Gold Elimination, Rideau Carleton Raceway fans will also catch the two-year-old pacing fillies in action on Sunday. The fillies compete in a pair of $40,000 Gold Eliminations, with the top four finishers plus one fifth-place finisher advancing to the July 22 Gold Final.
Reigning Gold Final champion Love Canal is also sitting on the sidelines this week, leaving the door open for one of her peers to step into the limelight. The fillies will compete in Races 2 and 4, while the colts battle in Race 5.
Rideau Carleton Raceway’s Sunday evening program, which gets under way at 6:30 p.m., also features the $176,500 Des Smith Classic for aged pacers.
(OSS)
To view entries for Sunday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Sunday Entries – Rideau Carleton Raceway.