DUNDAS, ON — This Sunday at 6:20 pm Flamboro Downs presents an outstanding card of harness racing, featuring eliminations and the final of the $600,000 Confederation Cup for three-year-old pacing colts as well as $130,000 Gold Finals for the two-year-old pacing colts and three-year-old trotting colts.

The sophomore trotting colts kick off the stakes parade in Race 5 and track and Ontario Sires Stakes record holder Semper Fi Hall will make a bid for his first Gold Final victory from Post 3. The Balanced Image colt delivered a record setting 1:57.1 personal best in the elimination round last Saturday and trainer Doug McIntosh says the trotter is at the top of his game mid way through the Ontario Sires Stakes season.

“He trained really good this week, he seems sharp,” says McIntosh, who trains Semper Fi Hall for breeders Walnut Hall Limited of Lexington, KY. “Sometimes after a good stiff trip like that they bounce right back with another one and I’m looking for a good race out of him.”

Semper Fi Hall moved up to the Gold level this season after capturing the Grassroots championship at two and McIntosh jokes that the colt is the Rodney Dangerfield of the division. After eight starts he has two wins, one second and two thirds and a pair of fourth-place finishes for earnings of $108,475, but he has yet to capture a Gold Final trophy.

“He always gives it his best shot. What he lacks in ability he makes up for with desire,” says the Wheatley resident. “A little luck is all he needs, especially on a half-mile track.”

With the colt’s regular driver Trevor Ritchie unavailable, John Campbell will take over driving duties for Sunday’s Final and McIntosh has his fingers crossed that North America’s leading reinsman can engineer a carbon copy of last week’s record setting mile.

Dream Lavec captured the other elimination with a 1:58.1 effort but the Mr Lavec son, owned by Peter Heffering of Port Perry and Annmari Daley of Coral Springs, Florida, will be handicapped by the outside Post 8 in the Final.

A trio of Confederation Cup eliminations follow the three-year-old trotting colts on to the half-mile oval, including Meadowlands Pace winner Mach Three and Ontario Sires Stakes division leader and track record holder Armbro Warranty. In between the Cup eliminations and the $600,000 final Ontario’s top two-year-old pacing colts will dazzle Flamboro Downs fans in their $130,000 Gold Final.

In last Sunday’s elimination round division leader Sir Luck crushed the track and Ontario Sires Stakes record with his impressive 1:53.4 performance and trainer Bill Budd says the Camluck colt is on target for a sixth trip to the winner’s circle after Race 10.

“He’s quite a colt. He was a little bit sick, believe it or not. He is just getting real healthy,” says the Carlisle resident. “I think they’ll go between 1:54 and 1:56 Sunday, that’s my goal anyway.”

Sir Luck and driver Mike Saftic will make their bid for a third Gold Final win from Post 7 and while Budd would prefer a post closer to the rail, he believes the colt has the talent to carve out a trip from just about anywhere on the starting gate.

“I don’t think he’ll mind it, he’s tough,” says Budd. “You’ve just got to watch him leaving, he touches a knee leaving, but the farther you go the better he is.”

Budd will also start Boulder Creek in the freshman colt final and the trainer is hoping the Pacific Rocket son can improve on his fourth-place elimination result from Post 4.

“He was going to win last week but when Rick (Zeron) pulled the ear plugs he over-paced and hit his knee and made a break,” says Budd, who trains both colts for C and I Siegel Racing Stable Ltd. of Brooklyn, NY. “He’s definitely a big track horse, but he’s a tough little bugger too.”

The other elimination winner, Pinstripe Poker, will benefit from Post 1 in the tenth race with Paul MacDonell returning to the race bike for his American owners.

Flamboro Downs wraps up its exceptional evening of racing with the Confederation Cup Final in Race 11.