If practice makes perfect, Striking Lindsey should be an expert at racing from Post 10 at Woodbine Racetrack.
Exactly one week after capturing his first Gold Final victory from Post 10 at the Toronto oval, the two-year-old trotting colt returns to the outside rail for Saturday’s $300,000 Super Final.
“Somebody’s got to start there,” says trainer Gregg McNair philosophically. “I think it’s a pretty wide open race there. I think any one of them can pop up and win that race.”
A consistent player on the freshman stakes circuit, Striking Lindsey wrapped up his season on a high note, winning his elimination and the final of the last Gold Series event, and finishing second and fourth in his elimination and the final of the $718,000 Valley Victory at Woodbine in October. Through 12 starts, the son of Striking Sahbra and Lindsey Fireyimage posted three wins, two seconds and one third for earnings of $190,090.
“He’s a nice horse. He’s a well bred horse, his dam’s a half-sister to the dam of Majestic Son,” notes McNair, who trains Striking Lindsey for owner and breeder Kenneth Sommer of Sheffield, Ohio. “The fellow had two there in the winter, and I kind of thought all along that he would be the better one.”
Jody Jamieson has driven Striking Lindsey in three of his last four starts and will be back in the race bike on Saturday, looking to recreate the trip that landed the colt in the winner’s circle last weekend. Striking Lindsey and Jamieson sat on the outside through the early stages of the mile, circled out three-wide at the three-quarters pole and stormed home to a three-quarter length victory in 1:58.1.
“He’s got to behave himself,” says McNair, a resident of Guelph, ON. “He’s made a couple of breaks this year, it can happen. We just have to hope he behaves himself.”
One of just two divisions that featured five different Gold final winners, the two-year-old trotting colt Super Final sees four of the five face off for the final time. In addition to Striking Lindsey, October 2 Gold final champion Winning Mister gets Post 1; July 22 Gold final winner Senator Hall will start from Post 5, and August 25 Gold final winner Hibbler has landed Post 7 for Saturday’s $300,000 test.
Unlike their freshman counterparts, only two horses took home Gold final trophies from the three-year-old trotting colt division. B Strike Three earned the first two titles and Define The World triumphed in the last three, resulting in a tie for top spot in the division point standings.
Undefeated in Ontario Sires Stakes action since August 8, Define The World heads into the Super Final off a 1:55.4 victory in the regular season finale at Windsor Raceway on October 29. The three and a half-length victory is even more impressive when you consider that the Duke Of York son was battling a cold at the time.
“He was kind of half sick in Windsor,” admits John Bax, who trains Define The World for owner and breeder Al Libfeld of Pickering, ON. “He just showed his class by being able to overcome it.
“It’s hard to get a read on him, but every time you put him on the gate he gives you 100 per cent. He just has that burning desire to be the best,” adds the resident of Peterborough, ON. “We’re just hoping he continues for one more race.”
Bax says the gelding seems to be back on his game heading into the Super Final, and has regained the cocky, king of the heap attitude he had when he amassed a four race win streak through August and September.
“He was a little dull there for a while,” says the trainer. “But his nose has cleared up and we’re hoping he’ll be as good, or better, than he was in Windsor.”
Through 20 starts Define The World put together an impressive 12 wins and five seconds for earnings of $586,639. In addition to battling his Ontario-sired peers, the consistent trotter captured his Simcoe Stakes division and the Canadian Breeders Championship at Mohawk Racetrack, and tackled the best horses in North America in the Kentucky Futurity on October 4. Define The World finished a tough seventh in the first heat, but bounced back to finish a hard charging fourth in the second heat.
Regular reinsman Paul MacDonell will steer Define The World from Post 4 in the tenth race on Saturday, while rival B Strike Three gets Post 7.
Woodbine Racetrack’s first race rolls in behind the starting gate at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night, with the eight Super Finals featured in Races 3 through 10.
Click here to view the entries.
(OSS)