Random Destiny’s path to Monday’s Gold Elimination at Mohawk Racetrack has not been a linear one, but trainer Riina Rekila is hoping that it culminates in a top three
finish for the two-year-old trotting filly.
After winning her elimination in the Gold Series season opener at Grand River Raceway on July 13, Random Destiny was an impressive runner-up in the Gold Final, finishing second by a head to Sooner Than Later. Six days later the Ken Warkentin daughter competed in the Bud Light Stakes at Flamboro Downs, but she made an early break and finished sixth.
Following her Bud Light outing, Random Destiny fell victim to a throat infection, and rather than rushing her back to the Gold Series ranks at Mohawk on Aug. 3, Rekila and owner Esa Lahtinen of Campbellville opted to give the filly an extra week of rest and compete in the Aug. 13 Grassroots event at Hiawatha Horse Park.
“When we scoped her we decided she can get one more week of time to heal, that’s why we went there,” recalls Rekila.
“I think it is better we go to the Grassroots, and not put her in against the best ones, they are going so fast,” adds Lahtinen. “It looks like it was the right decision.”
Rekila teamed Random Destiny to an effortless two and three-quarter length victory in the Grassroots contest, stopping the Hiawatha teletimer at 2:03. The native of Finland says the filly came out of the race in top shape and trained well on Wednesday (Aug. 19) in preparation for her return to the Gold Series.
“I trained her yesterday at Mohawk and she was quite good there,” notes Rekila. “She is a nice filly.”
Both Lahtinen and Rekila say the filly has been a quick study from her earliest lessons, which began much later than many of her peers due to a bout with sickness following last fall’s Forest City Yearling Sale.
“When she came from the sale she was almost two months sick,” explains Rekila. “We didn’t start driving her until January.”
Lahtinen purchased the half-sister to former sophomore Grassroots Champion Featured Image for $22,000 after she caught his eye at the sale grounds.
“I really liked the filly when I saw her,” recalls Lahtinen. “She was not marked too much in my book, but when I saw her, I looked at her pretty close.”
Rekila will steer the leggy trotter from Post 8 in the first of three $40,000 Gold Eliminations, and the pair face a field laden with talent. Reigning Gold Final champion Isthatallyagot will start from Post 4, former Gold Final winner Sooner Than Later gets Post 5, and the winner of the $525,800 Merrie Annabelle Final at The Meadowlands, Poof Shes Gone, makes her Gold Series debut from Post 6.
The top three fillies from each of the Gold Eliminations, along with one fourth-place finisher selected by random draw, will return to Mohawk on Aug. 31 for the $130,000 Gold Final.
The two-year-old trotting fillies raise the curtain on Mohawk Racetrack’s Monday evening program at 7:20 p.m., and will also take centre stage in Races 4 and 6.
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To view Monday’s harness racing entries, click here.