DUNDAS, ON — Ontario’s top two-year-old pacing fillies head for Flamboro Downs on Friday night for their sixth straight week of provincial stakes action.
Leading the talented fillies into their third Gold Series Elimination is reigning Gold Final champ The Patriot, who overcame sloppy conditions at Rideau Carleton Raceway last weekend (July 26) to post her third victory in five provincial starts.
“Earlier in the night the track was rated off four seconds and when she raced it was off two seconds,” recalls trainer John Kopas. “They’d had rain for most of the day, heavy rain, and it wasn’t a real good racetrack, but she seemed to handle it very well.”
The Campbellville resident adds that the Albert Albert daughter recovered easily from her 1:57.4 effort in the slop and he expects her to deliver another solid performance from Post 3 in the second race at Flamboro on Friday.
“There could be a Precious Delight or an Odies Fame pop out of the woodwork in August, but at this point I think my filly has shown she’s competitive with what’s out there right now,” says the veteran horseman. “And I’d be the first to admit I thought she’d be a nice filly, but I never thought she would do what she has done. She has been a very pleasant surprise.”
In addition to her Gold Final victory The Patriot has posted wins in a Gold Elimination and a division of the Trillium Series. She finished third in the first Gold Final at Woodbine Racetrack from Post 10 and was second in the elimination round at Rideau Carleton from Post 8.
“You really don’t know what you’ve got until you’ve started them a couple of times,” says Kopas, “But the first indication I had was the first day we qualified her and she paced her last quarter in :27.2.”
Breeders Glengate Farms of Campbellville and Suvretta Stables of Toronto share ownership on The Patriot and Keith Oliver handles driving duties on the winner of $139,832.
“I think Keith is a real talent and I don’t think he gets the recognition he deserves yet,” says Kopas of his regular reinsman. “I feel very comfortable when he is driving one of mine, he’s very astute out there.”
Oliver and The Patriot will face a field of seven in the second race on Friday, including three Gold Series regulars, three fillies making the leap up from the Grassroots level and one newcomer to the Ontario Sires Stakes scene.
Division leader Northern Harmony, who was undefeated until the July 26 Gold Final at Rideau Carleton, will make her bid for a fifth victory from Post 5 in the sixth race. Bill Robinson of Hagersville trains the Run The Table filly for Gerrie Tucker of Montreal, QC, Sampson Street Stables of Old Forge, PA, Don Bray of Newcastle and Angelo Dinardo of Etobicoke.
The other Elimination goes postward as the tenth race on Flamboro Downs’ 3 pm program Friday. The top three finishers from each Elimination will return to the Dundas half-mile on August 9 for their third $130,000 Gold Final.