Two-year-old trotting fillies flocked to Georgian Downs on Tuesday evening to kick off their OSS season in a trio of $70,000 Gold Series divisions, and daughters of Muscle Mass had a productive night.
Winter Sweet Frost captured the opening division in 1:59.3 for driver Doug McNair and trainer Paul Reid. On top through fractions of :30.2, :59.3 and 1:29.4, the daughter of Kadabra-American Frost used a :29.4 closing panel to win by a half-length margin over Lady Justice. Gravitator was third.
“She raced good tonight,” said driver Doug McNair. “The track hasn’t been that fast up there, so to go a mile in 1:59.3, I think that’s a pretty good mile for a two-year-old trotting filly’s first lifetime start.
“The main thing about her is she’s nice gaited and she’s smart,” said McNair, who first sat behind Winter Sweet Frost in a spring training mile. “You can make a lot of money with one’s like that, rather than a high speed one that’s half crazy.”
Sent off as the 2-5 favourite, Winter Sweet Frost came through on that pari-mutuel promise for owner/breeder Robert Key of Leechburg, PA. The filly is a half-sister to Frost Bites K (1:54 - $440,804).
On A Sunny Day rallied for a 1:59 triumph in the second contest for the duo of driver Sylvain Filion and trainer Luc Blais. The daughter of Muscle Mass-Dicent No left from Post 7 and dropped into the four-hole while Sweet Of My Heart charged to the top and supplied fractions of :29.1, 1:00.2 and 1:30.4. Filion had his charge on the move in first-over fashion as the field went to the three-quarter pole. On A Sunny Day’s :27.4 closing panel propelled her to the half-length win over Sweet Of My Heart. Im Peekers was a well-beaten third.
“She really impressed me,” said driver Sylvain Filion. “That was the first time I sat behind her, but Luc always told me he really, really liked her and you know what, he was right. She was real impressive tonight.
“Her last baby race she came a last quarter in :27.1,” added Filion. “She’s a handy filly, she’s pretty easy to drive, she’s pretty mature for her age, and she’s got wicked speed, so it’s a good combination.”
Determination of Montreal, QC owns the youngster who was bred by trainer Luc Blais.
Janderson also used come-from-behind tactics to win her division in 1:59.3. Paul MacDonell got away third with the Mike Keeling pupil while Majestic Kat rushed to the engine and threw down fractions of :28.3 and 1:01.3. Mass Psychology put first-over pressure on the leader in the backstretch, and they battled to the three-quarter pole in 1:30.2. MacDonell angled Janderson off the rail nearing the head of the lane and the filly fired home in :29 to win by three lengths over Mass Psychology. Majestic Kat faded to finish third.
“The race set up kind of nice for her, she got away third in a nice spot there, and then the first and second horses went at it kind of hard down the backstretch, which kind of made the race for her,” said driver Paul MacDonell. “In her only qualifier she did have a lot of trot on the end of her mile, so I was a little bit confident."
Hall of Famer Dr. Roly Armitage and James Armitage share ownership on the daughter of Muscle Mass-Gracious Marla, who was a $14,000 purchase from last year’s Canadian Yearling Sale. She’s the half-sister to Vixen (1:56.2 - $101,225).
The Tuesday evening program also featured a set of Preferred events for trotters, with the $11,000 Preferred 2 going to Platoon Seelster in 1:55 for Team Holliday.
Not even a first-over trip could keep the OSS grad out of the winner’s circle. Delcrest Massy chopped out fractions of :27, :57 and 1:25.4 before being hauled down by Platoon Seelster and Ryan Holliday in the lane. The winner used a :29 kicker to prevail by 3-3/4 lengths over Delcrest Massy, with Bambino Hall a well-beaten third.
Dave Holliday trains the four-year-old son of Federal Flex-Personal Hanover for Caroline Holliday of Mount Forest and Dennis Hannath of Harriston, Ont. The connections watched the gelding win for the fourth time this season and for the seventh time in his career. The lion’s share of the loot bumped his bankroll to $288,945.
Domedomedome rallied for a narrow win in the $7,500 Preferred 3 for trainer/driver Jack Moiseyev. The five-year-old daughter of Deweycheatumnhowe-Mojo N The Morning got away fourth before moving first-over and grinding her way to the top. She prevailed by three-quarters of a length over R Choochoo Charlie in 1:55.3. Ill Stay Here rounded out the Triactor ticket.
Sent off as the 3-5 favourite, Domedomedome improved this year’s record to 5-2-0 from 18 starts for breeder/co-owner Joanne Colville and partner Pam Schmidt. The mare has banked in excess of $60,000 this season and more than $158,000 to date.
(With quotes from OSS)
To view results for Tuesday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Tuesday Results – Georgian Downs.