Good Will Hanover and L A Delight struck gold at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Sunday night (August 21) as three-year-old pacing fillies invaded the Ottawa oval to compete in their fourth leg of the Ontario Sires Stakes.
Good Will Hanover earned her first Gold Series victory of the season with an impressive 1:51.3 mile that was just two-fifths of a second off the divisional track record.
In the first of two $105,000 Gold divisions, driver Paul MacDonell and Good Will Hanover forged to the lead from post three into a :26.2 opening quarter prompting even-money favourite Mayhem Seelster to drop in behind after firing out from post six. Meanwhile, inside starter Lay Lady Lay, the 5-2 second choice, followed in third, but not for long. As Good Will Hanover took the field to the half in :55.4, Lay Lady Lay advanced first over and went head-to-head with the front filly to three-quarters in 1:23.3. However, Good Will Hanover drew clear around the final turn and paced home in :28.1 on the way to the one and a quarter length victory. Lay Lady Lady held on for second as Mayhem Seelster closed up the inside to make it a close call. Cracklin Rosie kicked home from last to fourth and Bring Me Diamonds earned the final paycheque in fifth.
Good Will Hanover paid $8 to win as the 3-1 third wagering choice. The Big Jim-Go For Best filly earned her fourth win of the season from 11 starts and boosted her annual income to $203,469 for the Glb Stable of Lakeview, N.S. While the Dr. Ian Moore trainee only has one OSS win on her sophomore resume, she also has victories in the SBOA Stakes and an elimination of the Fan Hanover Stakes.
On the other hand, reigning divisional champion L A Delight boasts a perfect four-for-four record in the OSS this year (and nine-for-nine lifetime), with her latest Gold triumph on Sunday clocked in 1:52 flat.
Sent postward as the 1-5 favourite, L A Delight and regular reinsman Randy Waples swept to command after a contested :26.1 first quarter that saw insider Divas Image come away with the lead while Free Show was forced to take back to third after leaving from post five. With Free Show tucking in behind her, L A Delight made her move to the top in front the grandstand and never looked back. The Bob McIntosh trainee carved out middle splits of :55 and 1:23.3 while Southwind Tango advanced first over from fifth, but only managed to improve two positions. L A Delight held a clear lead heading into the stretch and cruised home in :28.2 to win by one and a half lengths over Divas Image, with Bourbon Seelster and Forever Liza coming on for fourth and fifth over Southwind Tango.
L A Delight has won five of her nine starts this year while banking $293,994 and bringing her career earnings just shy of the million-dollar mark. The homebred Bettors Delight-West Of L A filly is owned by Robert McIntosh Stables Inc. of Windsor, Ont., C S X Stables of Liberty Center, Ohio, and Al McIntosh Holdings Inc. of Leamington, Ont. She paid $2.30 to win.
Three-year-old pacing fillies Windsun Glory and Noone To Depend On each claimed their third OSS trophies in Sunday's Grassroots action. Windsun Glory won her $18,000 division in 1:53.1 with Doug McNair catch-driving for trainer/co-owner Murray Brethour while Noone To Depend On scored in 1:54.1 for the Jamieson family -- driver Jody, trainer Carl and co-owner Brandy. The other Grassroots division was won by Emerald Highlands Farm's Glorious Delight in 1:54 in rein to Mike Saftic for trainer Dustin Jones.
Rideau's weekly $6,650 Winners Over Handicaps were won by pacer Meersburg (1:53.4) and trainer/driver Ted McDonald in a three-way finish over favourites Velocity Headlight and Viper Select, and the Gary McDonald-trained trotter Stonebridge Rich (1:59.2) over favourite Raising Richard.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Rideau Carleton Raceway.