Ontario's talented three-year-old pacing fillies kick off Woodbine Racetrack's 2008 Sires Stakes season on Monday evening, and Toronto resident Randy Bennett is hoping that an inside post will help Changing Gears earn a top finish in the second of two $40,000 Gold eliminations.
"I'm knocking on the wood on my desk right now," says Bennett, with a wry chuckle. "We've finally drawn a decent post. In 17 starts she's drawn the 6-hole or outside about 10 of those 17 starts. It's a rare occasion for us to draw the 1, 2, or 3."
Changing Gears will start from Post 1 in Monday's fourth race, making her first start since a fifth-place finish in a September 13 Gold elimination at Mohawk Racetrack.
That fifth-place effort earned the Grinfromeartoear daughter a berth in the September 20 Gold final, but she came up sick following the elimination and had to be scratched from the $120,000 contest.
"She's been sick on and off all season," notes Bennett, who shares ownership on the filly with trainer Gary Kingshott of Rockwood. "Unfortunately she was sick at the time when most of the stake races were set to go.
"She's similar to her brother that way," he adds. "Transcending was a bit of a hard luck horse last year."
Full brother Transcending has gone on to earn a total of $166,465 for Bennett and Kingshott, and in spite of her troubles, Changing Gears has already netted $112,721 for the partners. In 17 starts she has posted six wins, four seconds and two thirds, and Bennett says one of the thirds may have been the filly's best effort to date.
"She had a very good race in the final of the Canadian Breeders (July 26). She was first over and just got beat by half a length for third," he explains. "But we've had problems with her on and off since.
"She hasn't raced in close to a month. She appears to be healthy at this time, the question is her racing fitness," adds the owner. "But both she and her brother seem to be horses that can race well off a lay off."
The filly's 1:51.4 personal best was clocked in an overnight at Mohawk on July 11 off a three-week lay off, so Bennett and Kingshott are hoping Changing Gears can rebound from her most recent bout of sickness to post at least a top five finish.
The top five finishers from each elimination will earn a return ticket to Woodbine Racetrack for the October 27 Gold final.
Although Changing Gears only earned five points in her single Gold Series appearance, a couple of top finishes at Woodbine over the next two weeks could give her enough points to extend her season through to the $300,000 Super Final at Woodbine on November 15.
The current cut off for the top 10 is just 35 points, and the top four point earners will battle each other in the first Gold elimination on Monday.
Post time for Woodbine Racetrack's Ontario Sires Stakes season kick off is 7:20 p.m., with the talented sophomore pacing fillies slated for battle in Races 2 and 4.
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To view Monday's entries, click here.