When the two-year-old trotting colts line up behind the Georgian Downs starting gate on Tuesday, Sept. 25 the pressure will be on local colt Its Payday Friday.
With just one Gold Series under his belt, Its Payday Friday is currently 30 points short of the top 10 and landing a berth in the season ending Super Final.
“He needs a first or a second to get into the Super Final,” points out Norm Clements, who shares ownership of the gelding with his partners in Prince Lee 2 of Uxbridge, Ont. “I know there are a lot of good horses in there, but ours is good too.”
Clements, trainer Matthew Dupuis and driver Daniel Clements have been high on the gelding since his earliest lessons. Through four starts the homebred son of Kadabra and Fridays Gem has finished second in the Aug. 16 Gold elimination at Mohawk Racetrack and fourth in the final one week later, fourth in a division of the Champlain Stakes over the Mohawk oval on Aug. 31, and sixth in his Sept. 7 William Wellwood Memorial elimination after making a break behind the starting gate.
“He had the rail and got a little close to the gate,” says Clements of the gelding’s Sept. 7 error. “But he sure trotted good after that.
“My son Daniel trained him in Florida last winter and he said from day one this was the best horse he ever trained,” adds the longtime owner. “And Matt Dupuis says the same thing.”
Its Payday Friday and Daniel Clements will be reunited in Tuesday’s test; Randy Waples and Chris Christoforou handled the lines in the gelding’s first four starts. The pair will start from Post 3 in the second $40,000 Gold elimination and face a field of nine Ontario Sires Stakes veterans including two-time Gold elimination winner Majestized from Post 1 and Champlain Stakes division winner Toocool Forschool from Post 2. The top four finishers from each Gold elimination, plus one fifth-place finisher selected by random draw, will return to Georgian Downs next Tuesday, Oct. 2 for the last $130,000 Gold Final on their calendar.
Clements and his partners are hoping Its Payday Friday can be among those that advance, and can earn enough points to land a berth in the season ending Super Final along the way.
“He has the arrogant attitude, the size, the breeding, everything you need,” says the Uxbridge resident. “And he’s miserable enough to be good.
“We’ll be up there with our entourage on Tuesday night,” Clements adds with a chuckle. “And hopefully things will be good.”
The first $40,000 Gold elimination features two-time Gold Final winner Murmur Hanover from Post 7, who arrives at the Innisfil oval off a runner-up finish in the $462,000 William Wellwood Memorial final at Mohawk on Sept. 15. The Majestic Son colt, who leads the division with 208 points, faces eight rivals.
Georgian Downs sends its first race behind the gate at 7:25 p.m. and fans will be treated to the two-year-old trotting colt battles in Races 2 and 4.
To view Tuesday's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Tuesday Entries - Georgian Downs.
(OSS)