Chantilly, Fifth And Five Fastest In OSS Gold Action

Five was the magical number in the fourth Gold leg of the Ontario Sires Stakes for two-year-old pacers on Saturday, Aug. 31 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. 

Rookie pacing filly Chantilly ($2.20; pictured above) stayed perfect in five career starts, winning her $140,000 Gold assignment in career best fashion. 

Sent off as the 1-9 choice, Chantilly settled into fourth from post eight behind Wickedpace (Jody Jamieson), Macapelo Seelster (Tyler Borth) and Millie May Hanover (Todd McCarthy). Wickedpace tripped the opening timer in :27, then yielded to Millie May Hanover. Her lead was short-lived as driver James MacDonald followed that move and brushed Chantilly to the lead by the :56 half. 

Pick Me Up Hanover (Dexter Dunn) came to call with a first-over attempt, but Chantilly wasn't answering that call. In fact, it was a message of do not disturb. After a 1:23.3 third quarter, Chantilly gave the Ron Pierce wave to her rivals and opened up a quick four by the head of the lane. The official win margin was 5-1/2 lengths, and the win time was 1:50.3. Wickedpace and Millie May Hanover rounded out the top three.

Now five-for-five with $257,500 in earnings, Chantilly (Big Jim - Shiraz Seelster) is a Millar Farms homebred trained by Nick Gallucci.

"She's just so gifted, and Nick's done a great job," MacDonald said after the win. "Like you said, she was a little warm her first couple starts, and now she's kind of matured into just a little race car. Lord knows, sky's the limit. She's a gifted animal with a ton of potential, and I just hope she sees it through, because she's a lot of fun."

Jody Jamieson found Fifth And Five ($8.90) a seam just in the nick of time as the rookie male pacer notched his first Gold victory in the $140,000 fourth leg.

Jamieson pocketed up early in the Gold tilt behind Century Lucifer (Borth) while even money choice Boxer Seelster (Trevor Henry) forged forward from post nine to cleat to the lead after a :26.4 opening quarter. 

Fifth And Five and Boxer Seelster then took turns on the lead down the backside. Jamieson moved Fifth And Five from third, and he touched down on top through a :55.2 half. Henry hustled Boxer Seelster back out of the pocket and fronted the field through a 1:23.2 third station. The backfield started to threaten, but Boxer Seelster maintained his advantage heading for the wire. His main threat was Fifth And Five, locked in behind him. Jamieson kept Fifth And Five angled to the inside, and Boxer Seelster drifted just enough for Jamieson to squeeze through power past for the 1:52 tally. Boxer Seelster was a length back in second. Century Lucifer finished third but was placed sixth due to interference in the stretch. That placing bumped Sterling Choice (Dexter Dunn) from fourth to third.

"I think the race in Grand River (the Battle of Waterloo final) took a little bit out of him," surmised Jamieson. "He should have been an easy winner, I thought, in the last Gold, and I got picked up down the stretch. But it just worked out where I was sitting that I could try to make a shot at the lead there, and then when Trevor came back to cover me up, it was even better for me, because my horse will track a helmet. 

"And we were talking off air, he's been unlucky. He arguably could have won every Gold this year. He was caught in [for] the first two, and then got picked up his last start...He just loved this trip tonight. It took a little wiggling, and Trevor's horse was running out, luckily, and I had enough room, and he shot through there like a gunshot. He was back to himself tonight."

Trainer Carl Jamieson trains and co-owns Fifth And Five (Bettors Delight - Filou Fly Fast) along with 1140545 Ontario Ltd. of Guelph and Trevor Edwards of Kirkton, Ont. The brown colt, now a two-time winner with $147,110 in earnings, was bred by Darryl Kaplan of Toronto, Roy Sproxton and Harbhajan Singh Dhillon of Brampton, Ont.

For the full results from Saturday's card of harness racing in Campbellville, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.

(Standardbred Canada)