CAMPBELLVILLE, NOV. 7, 2001 — Two of North America’s Breeder’s Crown champions are Ontario born and bred and both colts will compete at Mohawk Racetrack on Saturday night in the Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final Championships.
Duke Of York makes his first start since the Oct. 19 Breeder’s Crown Final in the two-year-old trotting colt division and Liberty Balance is back in action against the three-year-old trotting colts after being sidelined with an equine virus following his Oct. 26 Gold Elimination win.
Both colts are sons of top trotting sire Balanced Image, who stands at Campbellville’s Glengate Farms, and both can nail down Ontario Sires Stakes division titles with wins on Saturday.
Duke Of York and driver Paul MacDonell will make their bid for the Ontario crown from Post 6 in the second race and Mohawk fans are looking forward to catching a glimpse of the speed and toughness the colt put on display at Woodbine in the Breeder’s Crown Final.
“This is a pretty exciting horse,” says Marvin Katz of Toronto, who shares ownership on the colt with Al Libfeld of Pickering and Sam Goldband of Toronto. “John Bax had told us even in the winter that this was an exceptional horse, and John doesn’t get excited or verbose about horses very quickly.”
Duke Of York is the first foal from great race mare Armbro Monarch, who earned $670,374 in her career and trotted to a lifetime mark of 1:54.3. While his 1:57.3 Breeders Crown victory is three seconds slower than his mother clocked during her racing heyday, the talented trotter has already earned $546,142 and could surpass his famous parent with a win in Saturday’s $250,000 contest.
“He is exquisitely bred,” says Katz. “So he has license to be a good horse. He’s bred to be a top level horse.”
The colt is one of four trotters trainer John Bax will harness in the Super Final Championships. He also sends out Pepi Lavec and Natashas Kiss in the two-year-old trotting filly division and Nov. 3 Gold Final winner Northern Bailey in the sophomore trotting colt event.
Unlike Duke Of York, Liberty Balance was favoured to capture the three-year-old trotting colt Breeder’s Crown Final. The Pat Hunt trainee heads into Saturday’s event riding a nine-race win streak and boasting a personal best 1:55.
The gelding checked in with his veterinarian on Tuesday and was given the green light to compete, but Hunt admits that if there is any chance the gelding is not 100 per cent his three-year-old season may come to an early end.
“We had him scoped Tuesday and it looked real good as far as racing goes, but he’s still a little flat, he doesn’t have all his energy back and I’m a little concerned about that,” says the Cambridge resident. “The vet figured he’d be all right by Saturday, but if he’s not then I won’t go with him.”
If all systems are go Randy Waples will pilot Liberty Balance from Post 7 in the seventh race for owners Thomas and Elizabeth Rankin of St. Catharines. A win in Saturday’s $250,000 event would push the gelding’s lifetime earnings to within $25,000 of $1 million for the season.
Hunt and the Rankins will also be rooting for three-year-old pacing colt Tyler A in the ninth race.
“We had one in each category and they both made it to the Super Final so I think that says a lot for the trainer and the quality of the breeding,” says Thomas Rankin proudly. “I’d like to have 10 or 12 of the best horses in Ontario, that’s my goal. I may never reach it, but we’re going to work toward it gradually and with a good foundation.”
With a Breeder’s Crown trophy already on his mantle and a champion standing in his barn, Rankin is well on the way to realizing his dream.
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Racing gets under way at 7:40 pm at Mohawk Racetrack on Saturday. The top two-year-olds are featured in Races 1, 2, 3, and 5 and the top three-year-olds take centre stage in Races 6, 7, 8, and 9.
Fans who cannot make it to Campbellville can catch all the excitement of the OSS Super Finals at home on cable television’s The Score from 9 to 11 pm EDT.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT SANDRA SNYDER AT 519-656-2017 (TEL./FAX) OR smsnyder@sentex.net.