DUNDAS, ON — While the rest of Ontario prays for a few more weeks of warm weather, trainer Bob Young would like to see the first frost arrive before Saturday.
The Guelph resident sends three-year-old pacing filly Oven Mitt to the post at Flamboro Downs on Saturday for her last Gold Series Elimination and, after battling allergies all summer, the Albert Albert daughter is finally starting to breath easy with the arrival of cooler weather.
“I hope it turns colder still,” says Young wryly. “Her allergies really bother her, that’s why I didn’t race her in the Fan Hanover Consolation (Aug. 24). We scoped her after the elimination and she was so heavy with white mucous I was just hoping we could clean her up before her next start, and we did.”
After a course of antibiotics Oven Mitt returned to the races on Sept. 2 in the $112,828 Simcoe Stakes at Mohawk Racetrack and delivered an impressive :27.4 last quarter sprint to score a 1:53.3 upset over heavy favourite and Gold Series rival Precious Delight. On Sept. 20 the pair staged a rematch in the Standardbred Owners and Breeders of Ontario Stake and this time Precious Delight prevailed and Oven Mitt settled for third, but Young was happy with the effort his filly delivered from Post 8 over the sloppy Mohawk track.
“She was out for a long while,” recalls Young, who shares ownership on the winner of $295,282 with Paul Gazzola of Guelph and Brian Barton of Carlisle. “We knew that if we went to the back we weren’t going to get anything, so we decided to stay out and see if we could find a hole and she got one just before the half.
“She trained good this morning (Wednesday). She went a mile in 2:15 this morning then she’ll miss tomorrow and jog a bit on Friday. She had last week off and we worked on her again, so that worked out real well too,” adds the veteran conditioner.
Oven Mitt will make a bid for her first Gold Series win of the season from Post 1 in the ninth race, with Dave Boughton replacing regular driver Doug Brown in the race bike while Brown competes in Lexington, KY. With early speed not being Oven Mitt’s strong suit, Young expects her to be hanging out on the outside again this week.
“She’s not a big leaver so she’ll probably end up coming first over, which doesn’t hurt my feelings,” he says. “She really likes Flamboro. She won a Flamboro Breeders Stake this year and last year she won a Flamboro Breeders and a Gold Elimination and was third in the Final there. For a big mare she gets around the turns slick.”
Oven Mitt will face five other fillies in the $55,854 elimination with her main competition expected to come from division leader Lady Graceful, who will start from Post 4 for owner Robert Waxman of Ancaster.
Precious Delight highlights the first elimination, Race 5 on the 3 pm card, and also gets the rail in her return to provincial action. The Precious Bunny daughter is undefeated in Ontario Sires Stakes action, her only losses this season coming in North American stakes events. Guelph resident Duane Marfisi trains the talented filly for Peter Heffering of Port Perry and Randy Waples will make his second appearance in her race bike on Saturday.
Flamboro Downs raises the curtain on its Saturday program at 3 pm and the sophomore pacing fillies will elevate the trackside temperature in Races 5 and 9. The top four finishers from each elimination will return to Flamboro on Oct. 5 for their last $130,000 Gold Final.