Ron Parsons started the season with four Ontario-sired trotters and landed all four in the post season, three of them in Saturday’s $1.6-million Super Final Night at Mohawk Racetrack.
The Cambridge resident will start Striking Serenade in the $200,000 two-year-old trotting filly Super Final, Seeuinthespring in the three-year-old trotting filly final and Deweykeepumnwhy in the freshman trotting colt showdown. His other Ontario-sired youngster, Bit A Magic, finished sixth in the two-year-old trotting filly Grassroots Championship last weekend.
Striking Serenade will make her bid for a division title from Post 5 in the first of eight Super Final divisions on the Saturday evening program. The Striking Sahbra daughter finished eleventh in the point standings, but snuck into the season finale when the filly ahead of her did not enter. Randy Waples will steer the winner of $30,360 and Parsons is hoping the Milton resident can work some of his post season magic on the fractious filly.
“She has all kinds of ability, she just doesn’t have the manners yet,” explains Parsons. “I think Randy will get along good with her. He’s done good with those type of trotters over the years. He’s got a soft set of hands."
Striking Serenade recorded a win in the July 5 season opener at Mohawk Racetrack, but has been unable to find her way back to the winner’s circle. She added one fourth, one fifth and one seventh to her Gold Series resume, and was a sharp second in an overnight event at Mohawk on Aug. 29.
Richard and Regina Beinhauer of Venetia, PA bred and own Striking Serenade, who is a half-sister to $444,057 winner Springboard.
The Beinhauer’s also bred and own Seeuinthespring, who has the distinction of parading onto the racetrack first in the division featuring the undefeated Bee A Magician.
“She needs an act of God to win her race,” says Parsons with a chuckle.
Seeuinthespring has not yet found the winner’s circle this season, earning her way into the three-year-old trotting filly final on the basis of two seconds, two fourths and one fifth in regular season action. Last season the Striking Sahbra daughter finished fourth in the Super Final, the race that launched Bee A Magician’s 13-race win streak.
Parsons served as Seeuinthespring’s caretaker during her two-year-old campaign, but when trainer Paul Reid opted to remain in the United States for the 2013 season the horseman earned a promotion.
“When Paul Reid decided not to come back to Canada he talked to the owner,” explains Parsons, who had not harnessed one of his own trainees in the Ontario Sires Stakes since 2009. “I went down and met him (Richard Beinhauer) in Florida and the relationship went from there.”
Through 16 sophomore starts the chestnut filly has posted six seconds, one third and $129,938 in earnings. Waples will also steer Seeuinthespring on Saturday, starting from Post 1 in the third race.
Parsons’ final entry, Deweykeepumnwhy, leads the two-year-old trotting colts into the Super Final. The gelding has not been bested in Ontario Sires Stakes action since July 22. After finishing tenth and third in the first two Gold Series events he dropped down to the Grassroots and logged two straight wins. Back up in the Gold Series Deweykeepumnwhy posted a neck victory at Georgian Downs on Aug. 17 and an impressive two and three-quarter length triumph at Mohawk on Sept. 20 in a personal best 1:55.4.
“I tease his owner all the time; I tell her she’s like the lady who owned Secretariat. She always believed in the horse,” says Parsons of the gelding’s owner Norah Parks of New Lowell. “Paul (Reid) and I always had our reservations all winter.”
Parsons says everything seemed to click for the Deweycheatumnhowe son when he finished third in the Gold Series leg at Grand River Raceway on July 22. Since then the youngster has improved with every start.
“Every barrier he broke you could see him getting stronger and stronger,” explains Parsons. “The first time he went in1:57 he was tired for a few days. After his last start he was bouncing around in his stall and outside with his tail up over his back.”
Moffat resident Jody Jamieson will steer the division point leader on Saturday and is tasked with overcoming the outside Post 10. The two-year-old trotting colts will battle in the fifth race.
The eight Super Final races will go postward as Races 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10. In addition to the Super Finals, Mohawk Racetrack fans will be treated to a mounted trotting race, which will be contested as a non-wagering event in between the second and third races. All of the excitement gets underway at 7:25 pm.
The I Love Canadian Harness Racing Fan Club will conduct an online handicapping challenge that will open in the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 25.
Entries can be viewed by clicking on the following link: Saturday Entries - Mohawk Racetrack.
To view a printable program of the card courtesy of TrackIT, click the following link: Saturday Program - Mohawk Racetrack.
(OSS)