Georgian Downs hosted the Ontario Sires Stakes three-year-old pacing colts and trotting fillies in Gold Series action on Sunday evening (August 7) and the Innisfil crowd were witness to four impressive performances, including the seventh straight victory by North America Cup champion Betting Line.
Betting Line and driver Jonathan Drury rolled off the gate from post one in the second $105,000 three-year-old pacing colt division and settled in third as Sintra powered out to a :27.3 opening quarter. Drury opted to put Betting Line on the lead before the :56 half and continued to lead the field through the 1:25.1 three-quarters. Sintra mounted a late challenge, but Betting Line surged forward in the lane to secure his seventh straight victory in 1:51.4. Sintra finished one length back in second and Voracity finished three and one-half lengths back in third.
“The horse was awesome, as he usually is,” said trainer Casie Coleman of her star pupil. “When I got to Georgian I was not happy at all with the track condition. The water truck broke and the track was really loose and dusty. I talked to JD [Drury] and we were going to scratch him because of it, but then they got a rental water truck in and the track got better, but not great.
“I told JD, be really careful and baby him,” Coleman continued. “But JD came through and got over it awesome. He was steering and pacing perfect tonight. I’m really happy with him; now off to Northfield.”
Undefeated since May 14, Betting Line has wins in his Somebeachsomewhere division, his elimination and the final of the North America Cup, and three Gold legs on his resume this season. The son of Bettors Delight will make his next start in the Carl Milstein Memorial at Northfield Park on August 13.
Cambridge, Ont. resident Coleman shares ownership of the winner of $1,277,422 with her partner in the West Wins Stable, Ross Warriner of Burlington, Ont., as well as Christine Calhoun of Chatham, Ont., and Mac Nichol of Burlington, Ont.
The first pacing colt Gold division went to Gerries Sport, who went gate-to-wire, laying down fractions of :27.2, :56 and 1:24.1 before battling down the stretch to a neck victory in 1:52.3. Fan favourite Magnum J closed hard to be second and War N Munn was just one-half length back in third.
“Gerrie, he raced good. He got out of the wings real fast and he felt real comfortable, so we just kept going and he held on,” said driver Sylvain Filion. “He was a little tired at the end, but that was a great effort in that track condition, and the weather was pretty windy too, so it wasn’t perfect conditions. I thought it was a very good effort on his part.”
Filion engineered the victory for trainer Richard Moreau of Puslinch, Ont., and owner/breeder Gerrie Tucker of Montreal, Que. It was the Mach Three son’s first-ever Gold Series win, and his fifth victory of the season.
Filion was back in the Ontario Sires Stakes winner’s circle after the first three-year-old trotting filly Gold division, piloting Emoticon Hanover to a commanding three and three-quarter length victory in 1:55. Catch A Mission and Dewdle All Day finished behind the fan favourite in second and third.
“I was a little concerned, because last year she made a break at Georgian. So I kind of had that in the back of my head, so I was trying to be very careful around the first turn and the last turn,” noted Filion. “My only anxious moment was when I let Chris Christoforou [with Dewdle All Day] go past the quarter. My mare didn’t want to let him go and she kind of chucked her head a little bit, so I had to be real gentle with her to let Chris go, and then as soon as I re-moved she was on her own and we were never tried.
“She was real comfortable, she was trotting perfect around the turns, so I was very happy,” the reinsman added.
Luc Blais of Lochaber Quest, Que. conditions Emoticon Hanover for Determination of Montreal, Que. The win was the Kadabra daughter’s second in Gold Series action this season and her fourth lifetime. In six starts this year, the filly now has three wins, one second and one third.
The second trotting filly Gold division was captured by Wanaka and Trevor Henry, who charged up the outer lane to reel in fan favourite and pacesetter Radiant Beam and then powered through the stretch to claim the win in a personal-best 1:56. Jangone closed hard to finish one-half length back in second and Dottie was three lengths back third.
“She’s a nice filly, we just had to get her healthy,” said Henry. “She is very fast for a piece and has the manners to go with it.
“She was out five weeks,” said the driver about the filly’s battle with sickness. “I was just hoping she was over it and I think she is.”
The Arthur, Ont. resident’s wife Shannon Henry conditions Wanaka for their partner, numbered company 1035840 Ontario Inc., also of Arthur, Ont. Sunday’s victory was Wanaka’s first in Ontario Sires Stakes action and boosts the daughter of Manofmanymissions' sophomore record to six wins, four seconds and two thirds in 16 starts.
In regular Sunday racing action at Georgian, five-year-old Dragon Again gelding Here Comes William was a 1:52.3 front-end winner in the $7,500 Preferred 3 Pace for driver Donald Dupont and trainer/owner Marie Dupont of Campbellville, Ont.
The Ontario Sires Stakes three-year-old trotting fillies will be back in Gold Series action on August 18 at Mohawk Racetrack, while the three-year-old pacing colts make their final regular season start on September 3 at Mohawk.
Ontario Sires Stakes action is back at Georgian Downs on Tuesday, August 9 with four Grassroots divisions for the two-year-old pacing colts. The colts will wage their third Grassroots battles of the season in Races 2, 4, 6, and 8. Post time is 7:15 p.m.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Georgian Downs.
(With files from OSS)