Shes A Bulldog kicked home with authority to win the lone $150,000 Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Gold Series fifth leg division for three-year-old pacing fillies on Friday, Sept. 25 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Sent off as the 4-1 third choice in the field of six with one scratched, Shes A Bulldog and driver Bob McClure defeated reigning divisional champion A Clean Deal, the 1-2 favourite with three Gold victories this year, and second choice Daya, a two-time winner in the provincial program.
Shes A Bulldog, a homebred daughter of Bulldog Hanover out of Band Stand, earned her first Ontario Sires Stakes score, winning by one length in a career-best 1:49.2 for trainer Ron Burke and owner Brad Grant of Milton, Ont.
In the winner’s circle, McClure said he was surprised by Shes A Bulldog’s performance.
“The last few times I drove her [early in the summer], she wasn't quite as good as she'd been in the past, and frankly, in the post parade, she didn't feel very good tonight at all,” said McClure. “But when she got into the last turn she felt full of herself, so I gave her a shot, and she kicked home awesome. But last year around this time she was second in the Super Final and then second in the [Breeders] Crown, so she seems to be a good fall horse."
McClure positioned Shes A Bulldog fourth through much of the mile as first Daya (Jody Jamieson) and then A Clean Deal (Doug McNair) led the group with the fractions clocked in :27.1, :54.4 and 1:23 to three-quarters. McClure put Shes A Bulldog in gear in the last turn after following Pownal Bay Bobbi (James MacDonald) throughout.
“Ideally, I would have liked to have just sat third and follow the whole way,” said McClure. “But James had the same idea. In the last turn, with A Clean Deal on front, [Shes A Bulldog will] not labour, but she'll let up pretty good in that last turn. So, I figured if I came first-up and I rode slow enough, I'd be able to get to her and then it would be a sprint home. I figured I could maintain third and maybe even second if Jody couldn't get out. Then when Jody popped out of the two-hole, it was the perfect situation: I was second-over and following one of the best horses and the other best one was in front of me. When I tipped her out, she gave me everything she had and we were able to get the job done.”
Shes A Bulldog paid $10.30 to win. There was no show wagering.
Shes A Bulldog, who ended her freshman campaign with a Grand Circuit stakes victory in the Three Diamonds and has been racing in the Kentucky Championship Series more recently, improved to 3-3-2 in 14 starts this year and 4-5-2 in 23 lifetime outings. The $75,000 payday pushed her bank account to nearly $280,000 this year and over $800,000 lifetime.
The victory allowed Shes A Bulldog to jump over Pownal Bay Bobbi into third place in the seasonal Gold Series standings. Sixth-place finisher Artistic Delight earned just enough points to jump from 11th in the standings into 10th place. The top 10 point-earners qualify for the $350,000 Super Final on Oct. 10.
With the Gold legs now complete, the final standings in the division are as follows:
- A Clean Deal - 200 points
- Daya - 162
- Shes A Bulldog - 83
- Pownal Bay Bobbi - 45
- Jen Tilly - 31
- Lavender Seelster - 28
- Romantic Beauty - 16
- TH Check Me Out - 15
- Cackle Berry - 12
- Artistic Delight - 8
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(With files from Ontario Racing)