Anthony Beaton and Dave Mercer had budgeted roughly $20,000 to purchase a Betterthancheddar offspring at the 2017 London Selected Yearling Sale. The duo ended up landing a ‘Cheddar’ filly for an economical $17,000. The filly would go on to bank $212,935 in purses in her two-year-old campaign.
Imagine if the yearling game was just that easy?
It goes without saying that Beaton and Mercer have been thrilled with what the filly in question, Better Single, has turned out to be. Now that the bay is on the verge of starting her three-year-old stakes campaign, Beaton has commented on the Ontario-sired lass.
While in discussion with the The Hamilton Spectator, Beaton, a Maritimer who now resides in Ontario, said that Better Single showed she was something special during her two-year-old qualifiers. She continued to excel through to the Ontario Sires Stakes program, where she won three OSS Gold races and finished second in her lucrative, year-end Super Final.
Now, after having enjoyed a well deserved break this past winter, Better Single is back. She qualified twice at Woodbine Mohawk Park in April, and is now set for her three-year-old pari-mutuel debut, which will come Saturday (May 11) at Mohawk in the eliminations for the SBOA Stakes.
"She finished the year in good shape and I'm very pleased with the fact she has filled out a bit,” Beaton told The Spec. “There have been two good qualifiers and while she may not be a world champion, she certainly fits with her competition and I feel pretty good going into the season."
Saturday’s Mohawk card will feature a total of five SBOA elims for three-year-old fillies – three pacing splits and two for the trotters. Better Single will contest the second of the pacing splits (Race 2), which will feature a 7:30 p.m. post time and a purse of $25,000. She has been assessed as the 9-2 third choice on the morning line from Post 5 and will be steered by James MacDonald. The imposing Sunny Dee (PP8, Trevor Henry) looms as the prohibitive choice from the end of the wings and has been tabbed as the 7-5 early favourite.
The $120,000 (estimated) SBOA finals are scheduled for Saturday, May 18 at Mohawk.
To read more of Beaton’s comments on Better Single, click here.
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at Mohawk, click the following link: Saturday Entries – Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(With files from The Hamilton Spectator)