With six wins in his last seven starts, three-year-old pacer Big Bay Point is riding a tidal wave of success back to Mohawk Racetrack for Saturday night’s $130,000 Gold Final, and trainer David Menary believes
the gelding has yet to reach his peak.
“He’s unbelievably sharp right now,” says the Cheltenham, ON resident. “It’s hard to keep them good all year — it’s a long season — but he can go fast right now, go far and fast.”
Big Bay Point scored his second Gold Elimination win of the season at Mohawk last Saturday, stopping the clock at 1:50 in spite of drifting across the track slightly in the stretch. The mile was one second slower than the Camluck son’s personal best 1:49, which he recorded over the Campbellville oval in the July 24 Canadian Breeders Championship Final.
The last time his Ontario Sires Stakes peers bested Big Bay Point was in the July 10 Gold Final at Georgian Downs, where he was caught at the wire and had to settle for third. Menary and owners Burke Racing Stable LLC of Fredericktown, PA and Weaver Bruscemi LLC of Canonsburg, PA would love to see the gelding grab the Gold Final trophy this week, for reasons that extend beyond making up for a lost opportunity.
“The big discussion this week… I’ve been talking it over with Ron Burke, and if everything goes well Saturday in the Gold Final we might supplement to the Confederation Cup,” admits the trainer.
Supplementing to the Aug. 15 Confederation Cup at Flamboro Downs requires a payment of $25,000, which Big Bay Point could finance by finishing first or second in Saturday’s Gold Final. If the gelding holds to the form he has shown since moving into Menary’s barn in mid-May, the Burkes, Weaver and Bruscemi should polish off their cheque books. Since they acquired the youngster, Big Bay Point has posted seven wins, one second and two thirds in 10 starts for earnings of $184,574.
“We didn’t have these kinds of expectations for him,” Menary says. “But he gets better and better every start we race him. It’s unbelievable the raw speed he has.”
Heading into his seventh start in as many weeks, Menary says Big Bay Point is in fighting trim and will simply maintain his daily training regimen this week. Like many of his peers, the gelding will spend lots of time in the field and be jogged lightly, but unlike most of his peers, he will gallop through his entire training mile on Wednesday or Thursday.
“I’ve only trained him one trip with the hopples on,” explains the horseman. “He likes to gallop more than any horse I’ve ever seen.
“The first week I had him I trained him with the hopples on in 2:35, but every other time he’s galloped. He just loves it,” Menary continues. “I gave him a couple of weeks off before the Gold at Georgian Downs and the week before I galloped him over the farm track in 1:52. I’d never galloped a horse faster than 1:55.”
The results of Menary’s altered strategy speak for themselves on the racetrack, and also in the barn. The first week Big Bay Point was in residence at Stephenson’s Training Centre in West Flamborough, ON, he kicked Menary hard enough to send the trainer to hospital for x-rays. Since then the pacer has been a model resident, giving neither Menary nor his staff any grief.
Big Bay Point will attempt to fashion another winning effort from Post 2 in Saturday’s Gold Final. Moffat, ON resident Jody Jamieson returns to the race bike for the $130,000 contest and Menary says strategy is entirely in the hands of the two-time O’Brien Award winner.
“I leave that all up to Jody,” he says. “That’s why I stay in the paddock and try and hire the best drivers.”
Big Bay Point and his three-year-old pacing colt peers will be preceded and followed on Saturday night by Gold Eliminations for the three-year-old trotting fillies. The fillies face off in Races 2 and 9, while the colts do battle in Race 8.
Reigning Gold Final champion Cross Of Lorraine, who is undefeated through her last five starts, headlines the second $40,000 Gold Elimination. Jody Jamieson will also be up behind the sophomore trotting lass, sending her after a sixth victory for his father, trainer Carl Jamieson of Princeton, ON, Thomas Kyron of Toronto, ON and Hope Johnson of London, ON.
The top five finishers from each elimination will return to Mohawk Racetrack for the third Gold Final of their 2010 schedule on Saturday, Aug. 14.
Post time for this Saturday’s Gold laden contest is 7:30 p.m., with the sophomore trotting fillies clashing in Races 2 and 9, and the sophomore pacing colts waging their Gold Final battle over the Mohawk Racetrack oval in Race 8.
(O.S.S.)
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