Chancey Lady equaled her lifetime mark of 1:51.1 as she cruised to victory this evening in the $120,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Final for three-year-old pacing fillies at Mohawk Racetrack tonight.
Voelz Hanover (Mario Baillargeon) and Ms Goliath (Sylvain Filion) dueled for the early lead through fractions of :26.3 and :55.1., but by the 5/8 marker Mike Saftic had wheeled Chancey Lady up to take command.
From there the Camluck lass pulled away from the field, blazing through a 1:22.2 third quarter, and remained untouchable, with 3-2 favourite Im Just Special failing to fire in the lane and fading to sixth. Voelz Hanover was a game second with Ms Goliath capturing third.
The win pushed Chancey Lady's earnings less than $30,000 shy of millionaire status for owner Niele Jiwan of Burnaby, B.C.
Trainer John Pentland, who nursed Chancey Lady through a severe respiratory infection earlier this summer, commented, "She was really sick. She had the same virus that was going around Ontario. The night we had to scratch her out of the SBOA Stakes, the lady that scoped her said, 'This is the sickest horse I've seen.'
"We had to shut her right down for a couple of weeks and treat her with antibiotics, and we didn't have as much work into her as we wanted going into last week (the OSS Gold elimination at Mohawk, where Chancey Lady was second to Im Just Special).
"She's such a quality mare, you know she's going to get you to the final, but I can't believe the way she's bounced back in a couple weeks."
Pentland added, "Artandi's mare (Im Just Special) is just racing incredible, but I think it was partly the drive tonight. That was a great drive that Mike gave her. He got her a rest down the backstretch for an eighth of a mile and I think that made all the difference."
"I'm not sure what's next for her," he said. "I think she's got three or four weeks before the next stakes. It's just Sires Stakes left, and then after the Super Final she's got the Breeders' Crown."
In the consolation, Windsong Eva and driver Luc Ouellette rallied from off the pace to take the winner's share of the $20,000 purse.
Windsong Eva got away third from Post 1 as Shake That Junk (Jody Jamieson) left from Post 3, setting the pace with panels of :26.4, :55.4, and 1:24.1. At the top of the stretch, Windsong Eva kicked it into gear, pacing on for the win in 1:52.1.
Cant Quit Smiling (Paul MacDonell) closed well for second as Shake That Junk faded to third.
Bill Cass of Milton trains and co-owns the daughter of Rambaran with John Craig of North York, Ont. She is now a four-time winner with $140,364 in the bank.
To view Saturday's results, click here.
(With files from WEG)