Saturday’s Gold Final at Mohawk Racetrack will mark the halfway point in the three-year-old trotting fillies’ Gold Series season, and trainer Per Henriksen says
elimination winner No Magic To It is just hitting her stride.
“In the last month and a half she’s really been coming along and racing really good,” says Henriksen. “I was a little careful with her for last year because she wasn’t quite ready. This year she started out a little slow, and then she came along.
“I kind of understood last year that she was a pretty good filly,” he adds.
Henriksen purchased No Magic To It from the Harrisburg Yearling Sale in 2008 for $27,000 after training her half-brother Guilford to earnings of $200,000 through his two, three and four-year-old seasons. The Norwood, ON resident started the daughter of Kadabra-SJs Sentiment six times last season, netting two thirds, one in a Grassroots event and one in overnight competition.
Starting off at the Grassroots level this year, No Magic To It made a break in the May 19 season opener at Western Fair Raceway, then delivered a 2:00.1 victory in the June 10 contest at Hiawatha Horse Park. Following her Grassroots victory, No Magic To It scored two straight wins in the Grassroots starters class at Mohawk Racetrack and Henriksen felt she had earned a berth in the July 16 Canadian Breeders Championship eliminations. Second to heavy favourite Cross Of Lorraine in the elimination, No Magic To It came up with a fifth-place effort in the July 24 final.
In last week’s Gold Elimination, No Magic To It once again faced Cross Of Lorraine — who had not been bested since May 30 — but this time the filly’s :27.3 last quarter propelled her past the favourite and on to a 1-3/4 length victory in a personal best 1:55.3.
Regular reinsman Trevor Ritchie of Acton, ON will steer No Magic To It in Saturday’s $130,000 Gold Final, tackling the tough field of sophomore trotting lasses from Post 8. While he might not have selected the post if given the choice, Henriksen has confidence in his filly and in Ritchie to work out a trip that gives them a shot at gold.
“I think she’s as good as anyone right now,” opines the trainer, whose ASA Farm shares ownership of the filly with Thomas Nurmi of Washington, DC. “I leave that to Trevor, to work out the trip. Last week she had both gate speed and finishing speed, we’ll see if that shows up again.”
The long range forecast for Campbellville indicates a 60 per cent chance of rain for Saturday, but if the rain materializes, Henriksen does not expect it to have an impact on No Magic To It’s bid for a few more Gold Series points.
“She goes with four aluminum shoes and nothing,” says the trainer. “It doesn’t matter — track size, track conditions, she doesn’t care.”
Defending Gold Final champion, and division point leader, Cross Of Lorraine will be back at Post 5 for Saturday’s $130,000 skirmish. The other elimination went to the consistent Emmylou Who, who will be looking for her first Gold Final victory from Post 1 for trainer-driver Lyle MacArthur of St. George Brant, ON.
Mohawk Racetrack’s Saturday evening program gets under way at 7:30 p.m., and Ontario Sires Stakes fans will have their eyes glued to the track when the three-year-old trotting fillies parade onto the seven-eighths mile oval for the fifth race.
(O.S.S.)
To view Saturday’s entries, click here.