It was a good night to be a longshot player at Mohawk Racetrack on Monday, as long-priced winners captured each of the $40,000 O.S.S. Gold Series eliminations for
three-year-old trotting colts and geldings.
Arriba Amigo was next-to-last for most of the mile in the opening elimination, but that didn’t stop him from getting his picture taken for the capable duo of driver Trevor Ritchie and trainer Blair Burgess.
Ritchie got away sixth with the son of Amigo Hall-Fidanzata while Windsong Geant (Mark MacDonald) took the field to the quarter pole in :27.3. Scotty Doesnt Know (Jody Jamieson) brushed to the top in the backstretch and enjoyed a brief lead before giving way to the half-mile leader Go Go Red Marty (Mike Saftic).
Go Go Red Marty laid down the second split in :56.4 over the sloppy oval, but it was Lexis Noah (Jack Moiseyev) who then stormed to the top and had the field lined up behind him at the three-quarter pole in 1:27.1. Still sitting sixth at the seven-eighths pole, Arriba Amigo came on strong in the closing strides and drew off to win by 1-1/4 lengths over Windsong Geant in 1:56.3. Lexis Noah finished third. Dontgetinhisway (Rick Zeron), who was sent off as the 4-5 favourite, got away last and finished a non-threatening sixth.
Sent off at odds of 10-1, Arriba Amigo made his way to the winner’s circle for the third time this season for the partnership of Robert Burgess, Karin Olsson Burgess, Mac Nichol and the Champagne Stable. The gelding pushed his lifetime earnings to $135,963 in the process.
Grumpy Jake was treated to a ground-saving trip by driver Steve Condren, and that went a long way in helping the son of Striking Sahbra-Elegance Angus score a 29-1 upset in the second elimination.
Even-money favourite Text Me (Randy Waples) was on top at the quarter pole in :28, but he gave way to Protégé Seelster (Mark MacDonald) shortly after the field entered the backstretch. Protégé Seelster wheeled past the mid-way point in :58 and the three-quarter pole in 1:27.4 before back-pedaling through the field.
Text Me surged back to the top in the late stages of the mile before getting picked off in the closing strides by Grumpy Jake. The margin of victory was three-quarters of a length. Oh No Three O (Fernand Paquet) came on strong to finish third.
Mike Guitard trains Grumpy Jake, who visited the winner’s circle for the first time this season, for the Haryott Stables Inc of Etobicoke, ON. It was the trotter’s fourth career tally, and the $20,000 payday bumped his bankroll to $236,879.
The top five finishers from each of Monday’s eliminations will advance to next Monday’s rich final. Here’s how they’ll line up on the starting gate:
$130,000 O.S.S. Gold Series Final
1. Hidden Message
2. Windsun Galaxie
3. Zorgwijk Kingpin
4. Grumpy Jake
5. Text Me
6. Lexis Noah
7. Windsong Geant
8. Scotty Doesnt Know
9. Oh No Three O
10. Arriba Amigo
To view Monday’s results, click here.