CAMPBELLVILLE — Thousands of people on hand for Mohawk Racetrack’s special Victoria Day festivities were treated to a pair of outstanding Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Finals on Sunday night.
In the fifth race fans roared as three-year-old trotting fillies For The Luva Moni and North To Alaska battled down the stretch, just a half length separating them as they swept under the wire. As the replay showed favourite For The Luva Moni stretching out for the win, fans erupted in cheers and applauded the filly and driver Trevor Ritchie as they returned to the winner’s circle.
“That was a tough, tough race, I hope they’re not all this tough,” said co-owner Ned Gvoich of the filly’s 1:56.1 tour around the outside of the Campbellville oval.
Leaving from Post 7 Ritchie and For The Luva Moni wound up sitting one horse out from the rail through the entire mile as Mikestory and elimination winner Wescott battled relentlessly for control of the front end. Heading into the stretch Ritchie moved his charge around the faltering leaders, hit the overdrive button and held on as the filly shot down the stretch. Nearing the wire North To Alaska, owned by trainer Kevin Davidson and Catherine Stewart of Campbellville, looked like she was reeling in the front runner, but For The Luva Moni dug to score the victory.
Snazzie Millie delivered a come-from behind effort to earn the third-place finisher’s share of the $130,000 Gold Final purse while Wescott faded to fourth after her tough first-over trip.
“The best part of her game is the last quarter so last week was really set up for her because the wind was blowing into them and most horses would just come to a stop, but not her, she’s going to go. So she looked awesome because of that,” recalled Beamsville resident Gvoich, who shares ownership on For The Luva Moni with trainer John Hayes of Beamsville and Kim Kaplan of Worcester, MA. “But this was a better race. This was tough.”
Five races later the three-year-old trotting colts provided the perfect prelude to the fireworks display that followed the races by setting off a few rockets of their own.
Fans made elimination winner Captain Brady their top choice, but as the colts roared past the grandstand it was two-year-old champion Meadowview Sunny and Doug Brown who shot off the wings from Post 9 to grab the lead, while Captain Brady, Gerry Lavec, Heavy Raincoat and Kingdom all made early miscues that prevented them from being a factor in the final showdown.
After he captured the lead Brown calmed the fractions, taking the field through a :28.2 quarter, :59.4 half and 1:29 three-quarters. Then, in a style he perfected at two, Meadowview Sunny waited for the sound of thundering hooves in his wake before gearing up for the stretch battle and led a cavalry charge to the wire that saw the colts four abreast coming down the stretch.
For the second time fans were forced to wait for the replay to determine that Meadowview Sunny had fought off all challengers and scored the 1:57.2 victory by a neck over Jayport Express, with elimination winner JM Vangogh a length back in third.
“He just doesn’t go until they get to him, which is good because he’s relaxed on the front end,” said Driver Brown after the race. “He’s never going to be a kind that’s going to win by five or anything, he likes to race them.” Brown added that the Classic Adam son, owned by breeder Charles Reid’s Meadowview Farms in Orono and trainer Paul Shakes of Stayner, was stronger in the Gold Final than he had been in the elimination.
“I could tell coming off the last turn he was a different horse, he was still trotting pretty strong and last week he wasn’t. I knew he was going to get beat last week. Coming out of the turn he just didn’t feel good,” said the Bowmanville resident. “He’s a lot stronger this year than he was last year, but everybody else has gotten bigger and stronger too, so it’s not like he’s going to win them all, but he’s off to a terrific start for sure.”
Meadowview Sunny’s victory was especially poignant for Reid. Just before the elimination last Saturday the colt’s 23-year-old mother Frisky Mitchelle came within inches of dying due to a twisted spleen and she endured a second setback midweek.
“We got her fixed up, but we had another spell this week with her and she’s got a two-week old filly. The vet said to me, “I don’t know how she foaled.”” said Reid, who always carries in his pocket the University of Guelph Veterinary Hospital card issued to Meadowview Sunny during his brush with death as a yearling. “This means so much to me. The whole thing has just been wonderful. It’s been a real wonderful ride.”
Meadowview Sunny will be looking for his eighth Ontario Sires Stakes win on June 29 at Windsor Raceway while the three-year-old trotting fillies continue their quest for Ontario Sires Stakes gold at Kawartha Downs on July 5.
The provincial program does not return to Mohawk Racetrack until September, but Woodbine Racetrack’s first event is slated for Monday, June 16 — Gold Series Eliminations for the exciting three-year-old pacing fillies.