In rein to Jason Brewer, St Lads Popcorn took a new lifetime mark with an impressive score in the $120,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Final for two-year-old filly pacers on Friday night at Mohawk Racetrack.
The daughter of Twin B Champ sat in the four-hole through an opening quarter of :27.2 posted by Shellace (Randy Waples). With her sights set on the front, the bay filly scooted to the lead and posted the following panels in :56.2 and 1:25.
As the field turned for home, the post time favourite, Shacked Up (Steve Condren), tried to step up but St Lads Popcorn dug in for the win in 1:52.3 by over one length.
Shacked Up was the runner-up with Fashion Week (Paul MacDonell) closing for third.
"When she gets to the front she gets pretty aggressive," said Brewer in a post-race interview.
The John Darling trainee has won six times in eight starts racing mostly on the front-end. In her debut season, St Lads Popcorn has earned two other OSS Gold Final titles. She was also triumphant in the Robert Stewart Stakes.
St Lads Popcorn has amassed $296,323 in purse earnings for the Jack Darling Stables of Cambridge, Ont.
In the $20,000 OSS Gold Consolation, driver Roger Mayotte worked out a winning trip to upset with Grin Goddess.
The Grinfromeartoear filly got away third as Cheap Motel (Randy Waples) posted a brisk opening quarter in 27.1. Bale Me Out (Jody Jamieson) applied first-over pressure, but was put away after the 1:23.4 third quarter as Cheap Motel kicked away by over four lengths entering the stretch.
Meanwhile, Mayotte had longshot Grin Goddess advancing on the outside and with a late-stretch kick, the David Poley trainee prevailed by one length in a new lifetime mark of 1:53.4.
Cheap Motel stayed for second and Baby You Save Me (Mario Baillargeon) got up for third.
Poley, a resident of Mount Hope, co-owns the two-time winner with Harold Poley of Brampton, Ont.
To view Friday's results, click here.