ELMIRA, ON — A rain soaked track did not deter Meadowview Sunny and Doug Brown from scoring their third straight victory in Gold Series action Monday evening at Elmira Raceway.
Sent off as the heavy favourites in the second two-year-old trotting colt Gold Elimination, Brown and Meadowview Sunny were in command from start to finish.
Over a sloppy track rated two seconds slower than normal the duo rolled easily through fractions of :31.3, 1:04.2 and 1:36 before stopping the clock at 2:07, one and a quarter lengths ahead of At A Boy Eric, owned by trainer Bill Wellwood of Cambridge and breeder Barry Hearn of St. Pauls Station. Tyrone Dillon finished another length back in third.
Paul Shakes of Stayner trains Meadowview Sunny for breeder Charles Reid of Orono, and the long time partners are starting to believe this may well be the colt they have spent the last decade hoping for. Monday’s win was the Classic Adam son’s third straight and comes off a track record setting performance at Kawartha Downs in the July 20 Gold Final.
The other elimination went to Sno Goal in an identical 2:07 time. Leaving from Post 3 Dave Wall and the Balanced Image youngster sat third on the outside through much of the mile before wresting control from Second Go Round at the head of the stretch and pulling away to a three and one quarter length victory.
Mr Tantalizer picked up the second-place finisher’s share while Second Go Round, owned by Paul Lindsey of Fergus, made a costly break at the top of the stretch to give up the lead and was forced to settle for the third-place finisher’s share.
Trainer John Bax’s Parkhill Stud Farm of Peterborough shares ownership on Sno Goal with Brian Parkinson of Sharon, Goin To The Show Stable of Peterborough and Kenneth James of Acton. The win was the colt’s first in two tries.
The top four finishers from each elimination will return to Elmira Raceway on Monday, Aug. 5 for their second $130,000 Gold Final, part of the track’s annual Industry Day matinee.