Driven by regular reinsman Randy Waples, Dreamfair Eternal thrived off a first over trip in the $372,000 Milton Stakes for aged pacing mares on a busy Saturday night at Mohawk Racetrack
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Forever Ivy (Ron Pierce) and Southwind Tempo (Tim Tetrick) left together from their outside post positions with Southwind Tempo taking the leading role and putting up a :26.4 opener.
As defending Milton Stakes champion Southwind Tempo led the field, which was reduced to eight after the scratch of Arts Diva, into the backstretch, Tug River Princess (John Campbell) brushed up from third to take over command while six-year-old Camluck-J Cs Nathalie mare Dreamfair Eternal moved first up from fourth.
Tug River Princess reached the half in :55.2 and three-quarters in 1:23 with Dreamfair Eternal applying heavy pressure before grabbing the lead in the stretch and sprinting to victory in 1:50.3. A Ps Money Maker (Rick Zeron) closed well to finish just three-quarters of a length behind in second and Ginger And Fred (Brian Sears) was third.
Fresh off a first over victory in her elimination last weekend, Dreamfair Eternal paid $6.20 to win as the 2-1 second choice.
“It just kind of worked out that way,” said Waples of the first over trip. “You really don’t want to be first over especially against this caliber of mares but she doesn’t seem to mind it. I’m more tentative of first over trips than she is. She really likes it. She seems to be able to hunt them down that way and has that strong kick at the end. She doesn’t have a whole lot of gate speed so you don’t want to get away too far back and give the race away. It just worked out. Like I said, first over isn’t the trip that you really go looking for but a mare like her, she just seems to be able to accept it and even thrive off it.
“She was strong [all the way through the stretch] but I give so much credit to those mares and I’m not taking anything away from this mare because I think she’s awesome, but you’ve got to give props to those mares too,” continued Waples. “You’re always scared that maybe ‘Tempo’ is going to slip up the inside. She was a threat last week. And Ginger And Fred sitting on my back, I know she’s got a good trip. I was really impressed a couple weeks ago with the way Travis Umphrey’s mare [A Ps Money Maker] raced. She closed really hard on me last week so when I heard Ricky screaming coming down the lane I knew who it was and I know she’s got that good kick. I’m a little worried about them all until I see that flash go off and know I’ve got here first. But if I had my choice to drive any mare in that race, Dreamfair Eternal is the one I’d pick.”
Dreamfair Eternal, who finished sixth in the Milton Stakes during her O’Brien Award winning season last year, notched her 11th win in 17 starts this season and pushed her earnings to $641,320. The 40-time career winner now boasts a bankroll of $1.4 million for trainer Pat Fletcher and owner-breeder John Lamers of Ingersoll, Ont.
“I’ve been lucky enough to drive a lot of really good horses so I don’t like to compare them that way but I can say she’s the best mare that I’ve ever driven, and as for horses themselves, I would say she’d be top three.”
Waples also captured the $34,000 Preferred Pace with the John Kopas-trained Keystone Horatio. The five-year-old Rustler Hanover-Keystone Havoc gelding got away fourth from Post 8 and advanced to the lead ahead of Major Hottie (Mark MacDonald) after the :26.2 opening quarter. He carved out the remaining fractions of :54.4 and 1:22.4 before stopping the timer in 1:50.3. Mr Apples (Mario Baillargeon) finished one length back in second and Activator (Rick Zeron) rounded out the top three.
Keystone Horatio paid $7 to win as the 5-2 favourite. The winner of six races in 21 starts and $251,420 this season is owned by the Estate Of George F Hempt Trust of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. His lifetime earnings passed the $1.5 million mark.
A pair of $130,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Finals for freshmen pacers were featured on Saturday’s undercard with the trophies going to Monkey On My Wheel and Mystician - both owned in part by Mac Nichol of Burlington, Ont.
Making just her third lifetime start, 19-1 Monkey On My Wheel turned in a 1:54.1 winning effort in the Gold Final for fillies.
Gapped off the gate from Post 1, Monkey On My Wheel and driver Rick Zeron got away eighth while Pearl Handlepistol (Mario Baillargeon) rolled to the lead from the center of the track with a parked out Village Janus (Mark MacDonald) taking over at the :27.1 opening quarter.
Village Janus showed the way to the half in :55.3, at which point Bunkhouse Babe (Steve Condren) tipped out from third and looked the leader in the eye past the three-quarters mark of 1:25.1. Village Janus turned back that rival at the top of the stretch but could not hold off the backfield. Favourite Lauren (Ron Pierce) sprang off cover and struck the front down the stretch but Monkey On My Wheel had the biggest spring in her step (a :27.2 final frame) and surged ahead on the far outside to win by half a length. Shipps Xanadu (Randy Waples) finished third.
“We tried to keep her quiet on the gate,” said trainer Travis Umphrey in the winner’s circle. “She actually can get a little hot so we babied her off the gate and it worked out well. Rick gave her a great steer and she had a lot of kick coming for home and she did it the right way.”
Monkey On My Wheel paid $40.60 to win. She is now two-for three in her career with $73,000 earned. She won her debut at Mohawk on September 2 before finishing 10th in her Gold elimination.
“She’s pretty green -- she’s only had a few lifetime starts -- so we needed some [Ontario Sires Stakes] points here tonight,” continued Umphrey. “We were trying to qualify for the Super Final if she was capable and everything worked out here. We’ve been high on her for awhile now and sometimes they disappoint you but this filly has done everything we’ve asked of her.”
The daughter of Mach Three-Legislation was bred by Mac Nichol, who purchased her back from the Spring Mixed Sale for $5,500.
“I ended up with her in her two-year-old year and she’s just been a doll to train down,” explained Umphrey, who purchased a piece of the filly. “We had to quit with her because she had some growing issues but we were going to aim her for some late stuff here now and everything’s gone on schedule.”
Metro Pace winner Mystician earned his second Ontario Sires Stakes Gold trophy in the colts and geldings’ event.
Royal Will (Mario Baillargeon) left alertly from Post 9 and established an early two length lead but a pocket pulling Mach It Big (Yannick Gingras) wasted no time making his move and swept to command just past the :27.1 first quarter.
Mystician and driver Tim Tetrick, who got away third from Post 1 in the early going, followed with a backstretch brush and reached the half in :56.2 and three-quarters in 1:23.3. With a deep-stretch lead, Mystician cruised to victory in 1:52 flat with Some Mach Some Win (Brian Sears) finishing one length behind in second and Bullet Speed (Scott Zeron) third.
“I talked to the trainer and I even talked to Jody [regular reinsman Jody Jamieson], and they said he’s better off a helmet but with the inside nobody was really getting out of there and I just had to make my move and he responded well,” said Tetrick in the winner's circle.
Mystician paid $3.70 to win as the bettor’s choice. Jeff Gillis trains and shares ownership of the Camluck-Mystic Mistress colt, who now sports a record of 5-4-0 in 10 starts, with Mac Nichol, Ken Henwood of Mississauga, Ont. and Gerald Stay of Buffalo, New York. The lion’s share of the purse pushed his earnings to $771,070.
To view Saturday’s results, click here.