Outtathisworld Deo closed off a second-over trip to spring an 18-1 upset on Sunday, Aug. 24 at Rideau Carleton Raceway in the lone $140,000 Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Gold Leg 4 event for three-year-old pacing fillies.
In doing so, she defeated Canada's 2024 Horse of the Year, Chantilly, who was sent off as the overwhelming 1-9 favourite and controlled much of the race but faded in the stretch for a third consecutive defeat.
After sitting fifth while Chantilly (James MacDonald) muscled to the front in a :26.2 first quarter, Tyler Borth motioned Outtathisworld Deo out to follow Perfectly Chic (Bob McClure) second-over near the half in :55.2. Perfectly Chic towed Outtathisworld Deo forward while advancing to level terms with Chantilly past three-quarters in 1:23 before Outtathisworld Deo made it a three-across battle on the final turn. Chantilly bowed out at the head of the stretch, and Outtathisworld Deo out-kicked Perfectly Chic by a half-length for the victory in a career-best 1:52. Wicked N Single (Louis-Philippe Roy) split horses down the lane and was a closing third. Chantilly came home sixth.
“[The win] was obviously unexpected,” Borth told Rideau Carleton’s Glenn Pearson in a post-race interview. “[Outtathisworld Deo] had been racing really well and I thought she would be decent, but I thought there were some fillies in there that we couldn't beat. A couple of them didn't race up to their best and we capitalized on it.
“When I saw Chantilly start to stop – she was actually running out a little bit in the turn – I moved [Outtathisworld Deo] a little sooner than I wanted to, but she kicked home strong and was good.”
The win was the first career Gold victory for Outtathisworld Deo, a homebred daughter of Bettors Delight and the final foal out of $2.1 million winner Worldly Beauty. She is owned by her breeder, Deo Volente Farms LLC of Flemington, N.J., and trained by Chantal Mitchell. Outtathisworld Deo improved to 2-1-0 in 14 starts this year and 5-2-1 in 23 lifetime outings. The filly now has seasonal earnings of $108,180 and lifetime winnings of $153,870. She paid $38.70 to win.
“She's a sweetheart,” said Mitchell. “She does everything right. She's got a good character and she's just fun to have around.
“She's the last foal out of the great Worldly Beauty, so the owners, the breeders, they retained her to breed her afterwards. She's been tough, she tries hard and she’s just not always had the best of luck. Things haven't always gone her way, but I was just hoping one day she might get there in one of these races, and here we are.”
Outtathisworld Deo is the third different Gold winner this year in the division. Chantilly won the Golds on May 24 and July 22 but scratched out of the leg on June 21 won by Perfectly Chic.
The Gold event was complemented by a pair of $25,000 OSS Grassroots fourth-leg divisions for sophomore filly pacers. All My Wishes became the first half of a Mitchell stakes double as she captured the second split in 1:52.2. James MacDonald got her away third from the rail through the quarter in :27 before sending her to the top before the half in :56. She was faced with the first-over Promising Moment (Borth) to three-quarters in 1:23.4 but put her away on the final turn and sailed home to a 1-1/2-length win. Simply The Best (Roy) closed for place, followed by Something In Blue (Travis Henry).
All My Wishes has won three straight legs of the Grassroots and is four-for-five in the series this year. The Mcwicked-Regal Wish filly has won six of 11 starts in 2025. She has earned $95,065 with seven wins in 21 lifetime attempts for owner Louise Guillemette of Trois-Rivieres, Que. She returned $3.70 to win.
The first split went to Macapelo Seelster ($3.40), who went gate-to-wire with Borth aboard in a three-length victory in 1:53.4. Peter Brickman trains the daughter of Big Jim-Macapelo Rose, a three-time Grassroots winner this season, for Erin Swainson-Brickman of Sebringville, Ont.
Southwind Sambucca nosed out The Light Speed in the $10,000 Preferred Handicap Trot for a 9-1 upset. Major Fernco N (Daryl Thiessen) was first to the front but gave way to The Light Speed (Guy Gagnon) at the quarter in :26.2, who then released Whichwaytothebeach (Trevor Henry) in front of the stands. Marie-Claude Auger tipped Southwind Sambucca off the cones as they turned for the half in :55, prompting Major Ferno N to go first-over out of third.
That rival rumbled forward down the backstretch, putting a head in front of the leader before three-quarters in 1:23.1, after which Southwind Sambucca moved three-wide. As he worked past the top two in the stretch, The Light Speed went up the passing lane and took aim, but Southwind Sambucca held on by a nose to win in 1:52.2. Whichwaytothebeach was third. The winner paid $21.20.
Southwind Sambucca has won three straight starts, rising in class in each of the past two, and is five-for-24 on the year. The gelded son of American Ideal-Sisters Delight has won 14 of 93 career starts and has earned $156,556. Victor Puddy conditions the five-year-old for Gordon McDonald of Ottawa, Ont. and Chris Boland of St. Johns, Nfld.
Sea Laird ($18.40) took the $20,000 Hard Rocking Summer Claiming Series final with a pylon-skimming effort at 8-1. Darcy Clancy secured him a pocket ride behind favourite Fancy Lettering (Gagnon), who put up fractions of :27.1, :56.3, and 1:24.3. With Docdor Mickey (James MacDonald) stalled on the rim, Sea Laird shot up the passing lane and rolled past Fancy Lettering to prevail by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:54.1. Beach Cowboy (Robert Shepherd) closed late and nabbed the place spot from Fancy Lettering.
Clancy trains Sea Laird and co-owns him with Raymond Alport of Kingston, Ont. They claimed the nine-year-old gelding after leg two of the series, in which he finished fourth, and sent him out to another fourth-place finish in round three before Sunday's final. The gelded son of Custard The Dragon-Devil Likes It Hot has won 36 times and earned $299,225 in 202 lifetime appearances. He is six-for-22 this year.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Rideau Carleton Raceway.
(Ontario Racing & Standardbred Canada)