After a narrow loss in the Simcoe Stakes at Mohawk Racetrack against Grand Circuit foes, Monkey On My Wheel returned to Campbellville and dominated Ontario-sired foes in the $170,000 OSS Gold Series Final for three-year-old pacing fillies
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A hot pace was presented in front of Monkey On My Wheel, who had no problem stepping away from the seven rivals she tackled in the Tuesday evening affair. Jody Jamieson tucked the daughter of Mach Three-Legislation into the four-hole while Modern Connection rocketed to the lead and front-stepped her way past the quarter pole in a :27-second clip. Patsys Luck brushed to the lead in the backstretch and was in charge at the half-mile marker in :54.3.
With the demanding fractions laid out in front of him, Jamieson angled Monkey On My Wheel off the rail at the mid-way point, and they brushed to the lead and took the field to the three-quarter pole in 1:23. A :27.2 final frame was more than enough to earn the homebred the 3-1/4 length score over Camille in a career-best clocking of 1:50.2. Waasmula closed from third-over to grab the show dough.
“She just does it so effortlessly that I thought that if I left her alone she might just pull up and think the race was over a little bit too early,” said Jamieson, following the win. “I just kept driving her to the wire, like :27 on the end, I probably could have sat as chilly as a mouse. I probably just over drove her a little bit, but she was just so strong and it was just a fantastic performance.
“Obviously, I was quite happy,” Jamieson said of the :54.3 half. “I thought tonight might have been the night to haul her off the gate and watch the speed go a little bit and it worked out.”
Sent off as the 1-9 favourite, the Travis Umphrey trainee improved her 2011 record to 6-4-1 in 13 starts. Umphrey shares ownership on the nine-time winner with her breeder, Mac Nichol, of Burlington, ON. The win pushed her seasonal bankroll to $441,208 while her lifetime total soared to $656,208.
(With quotes from WEG)
To view results for Tuesday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Tuesday Results – Mohawk Racetrack.