ELMIRA, ON — When the three-year-old pacing fillies arrive at Elmira Raceway on Friday night to compete in the first Trillium Series event of their season, Linda Magid will make the drive from her Cambridge home to watch the only horse she has left racing.
Magid’s filly Jezebel will start as one of the favourites in the fourth race, leaving from Post 5 in the six-horse field. Although the American-bred filly, eligible to the Trillium Series because of her Ontario ownership, will be making her first start in provincial competition she brings a set of impressive credentials to the plate.
Since her April 13 debut the Laag daughter has a record of two wins, one second and three thirds, with her victories coming in legs of the Princess Series at Mohawk Racetrack and the Rose Red Series at Hazel Park. Although she has not toured a half-mile oval this season she clocked a 1:57.4 mile as a two-year-old in a Flamboro Downs Breeders Stake against a field of Gold Series competitors.
“She raced at Flamboro and she got around there okay,” says Magid. “And she’s been doing a little bit better this year.”
Magid and her late husband Karl acquired their first horse in 1987, breeding and racing an impressive list of stakes winners in the ensuing 15 years, but only three horses remain, Jezebel, an unraced two-year-old and a broodmare. The Cambridge resident recently completed the sale of three-year-old pacing colt and $1.2 million winner Mach Three to Pennsylvania horse owner Joseph Muscara for a sum reported to be in the $2 million range.
Jezebel is one of two horses trainer Bill Robinson will start in Friday night’s event. The Hagersville resident will also harness Unique X Ample from Post 2 in the eighth race. A regular in the Gold Series this season, Unique X Ample heads into the Trillium event off a 1:57.1 victory at Woodbine Racetrack on May 28. Robert Hamather of Exeter owns the Camluck daughter, who will face an impressive line-up of fillies, including the Rose Red Series winner Northern Sky.
Trained by Windsor’s Jack Darling for his partner Dan Smith of Dorchester, Northern Sky and driver Greg Wright, Jr. will benefit from the advantageous Post 1 on Friday. In addition to her impressive 1:54.2 victory in the May 24 Rose Red Final, the Northern Luck daughter scored a third-place finish in the two-year-old pacing filly Breeders Crown last October.
Also challenging for the lion’s share of the $22,559 purse in Race 8 will be Go Alberta Go, who finished third in her elimination and the Final of the May Gold Series at Windsor Raceway. The Albert Albert miss will start from Post 3 for veteran conditioner John Kopas and owners Glengate Farms of Campbellville and Clay Harland Horner and Suvretta Stables of Toronto.
Kopas also sends out Swan Song from Post 5 in the first race for Donald Booth of Manotick, Gus Wersch of Nepean, Richard Cullen of Smiths Falls and Frugal Fellas Farm of Ottawa.
The Trillium Series season opener is slated as Races 1, 4 and 8 on Elmira Raceway’s 6:45 pm program Friday night. It is the second of eight Ontario Sires Stakes events the half-mile oval will host this season.