GLOUCESTER, ON — The bad news for trainer John Kopas at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Friday night was that his two-year-old pacing filly Indecorum made a break and finished last for the second week in a row. The good news for the Campbellville resident was that Indecorum’s stablemate The Patriot delivered an impressive effort over a sloppy track to capture the $130,000 Gold Series Final.
Sent off as the fans’ second choice, The Patriot and driver Keith Oliver moved off the starting gate from Post 1 and settled into fourth spot on the rail behind early leader Warrawee Emma who reached the first quarter in :27.1. Heavy favourite and Elimination winner Northern Harmony took control of the pace just past the opening quarter and led the field of eight by the half in :57.1 as Oliver moved The Patriot to the outside of the five-eighths oval.
The quick early fractions over a sloppy track rated two seconds slower than normal quickly showed their effect on the leaders and by the 1:27 three-quarters The Patriot had cruised to the front while Warrawee Emma had slipped to fifth and Northern Harmony had fallen back to fourth. At the top of the Rideau Carleton stretch The Patriot had three lengths on the field and she continued to pull away through the final strides, hitting the wire five lengths on top in 1:57.4.
Please Me Please was able to stick closest to the winner to earn the second-place finisher’s share of the $130,000 purse while third-placed Rustleyourfeathers was 17 lengths back.
With Northern Harmony out of the picture, The Patriot returned $8.80 to win, $2.40 to place and $3.10 to show. Please Me Please paid her backers $4.70 to place and $2.80 to show, while Rustleyourfeathers was worth $4.80 to show. The 1 – 2 exactor returned $30.70 and the triactor was a $229.60 pay day.
Breeders Glengate Farms of Campbellville and Suvretta Stables of Toronto own The Patriot, who improved her record to three wins, one second and one third with the win and boosted her earnings to $139,832. The Albert Albert daughter was a runner-up to Northern Harmony in last week’s elimination round and finished third in the July 8 Gold Final at Woodbine Racetrack.
The two-year-old pacing fillies now head for Flamboro Downs on Aug. 2 for their third Gold Series event, with the Final slated for Aug. 9. Ontario Sires Stakes action returns to Rideau Carleton Raceway on Sunday, Aug. 18 with the third Grassroots event for the two-year-old trotting colts.