Shacked Up turned in a dominant performance on Saturday night to win the $170,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Final for three-year-old filly pacers in 1:52.3 over a sloppy Mohawk oval
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The daughter of Western Terror - Sapphire Dawn got away fifth in the early stages for driver Luc Ouellette and watched her stablemate Kabbalah Karen B (Mark MacDonald) lead through the opening quarter of :27 seconds.
As the field straightened up towards the half, Coming Late (Jody Jamieson) pulled out from second to take over briefly, but then yielded to the onrushing Shacked Up, who cleared just past the :57-second half mile.
After putting up three quarters in 1:25.1, Ouellette gave Shacked Up the green light and she responded by kicking away from rivals with a :27.2 final quarter. Coming Late was able to hold the place spot with Cheap Motel (Mario Baillargeon) rallying for third, making it a 1-2-3 finish for conditioner Tracy Brainard.
Shacked Up returned a popular $4.40 in picking up her fourth win in 10 starts this season. The winner’s share of the purse elevated her career earnings to just over $440,000 for owner Bulletproof Enterprises of Boca Raton, Florida.
Equity ran his current win streak to eight with another solid victory in Saturday’s $130,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Final for three-year-old colt and gelding trotters in 1:55.2 over the sloppy going.
Jack Moiseyev, who drove earlier in the day on the Hambletonian program at The Meadowlands, made the trip back to Mohawk to drive and had the gelded son of Kadabra - Earl Of My Dreams sitting patiently in fourth position through an opening quarter of :27 seconds.
Once things settled on the way to the half, Moiseyev tipped his charge to the outside and easily brushed to command at the halfway point in :57.1. From there, Equity was never seriously threatened and rolled to the easy victory. P L Cooper (Sylvain Filion) rallied well to pick up the place spot with Structure Fire (Jason Brewer) closing to finish third.
Equity improved his seasonal record to 10 wins in 12 starts for owners and breeders Charalambos Christoforou and Banjo Farms. Christoforou also does the training of the colt, who bumped his career bankroll up to just over $320,000.
In regular racing action, Bigtime Ball doubled up in the Open ranks with his win in this week’s $50,000 top pace.
Bolero Charles (Paul MacKenzie) flashed his customary early speed and crossed over from the outside Post 6 for the lead, but yielded to the heavy 1-5 favourite, Bigtime Ball and driver Paul MacDonell, after a :27.1 first quarter. Once in command, the five-year-old son of Presidential Ball-Keystone Trinidad bypassed panels of :55.2 and 1:24 en route to victory in 1:51.1 by a length and a half.
Silent Swing (Steve Condren) flew home to finish second over Bolero Charles.
Bigtime Ball improved his seasonal record to 8-3-0 in 12 starts and lifted his earnings to $265,692 for trainer Gord Irwin. The 21-time winner has banked $870,173 to date for the Irwin Stables of Cobourg, Ont.
Trainer Richard Moreau and driver Sylvain Filion also enjoyed a stellar night. The pair teamed up for three wins on the 12-race card with Canbec Fridolin (1:56.1), With Anticipation (1:53.1) and Kaprice Decajeul (1:56.3). Filion also scored three more victories with Pulse N (1:52.4) for trainer Marty Fine, Thecolour Of Jewel (1:54) for Jeff Durham and Our Lucky Killean (1:52.4) for Casie Coleman.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click here.
(With files from WEG)