REXDALE, ON — When the three-year-old pacing fillies line up behind the gate at Woodbine Racetrack on Monday evening, William Childs will be standing at the rail ready to cheer home elimination winner Armbro Athletic.
The Burlington resident shares ownership of the Village Jiffy daughter with his The Whim Stable partner Rodney McGrath of Burlington, trainer Bob Young of Guelph, Brian Barton of Carlisle and Paul Gazzola of Guelph, and he rarely misses a race.
“I’m the type, if I own a horse I try to get to every race. That’s why I own them,” says Childs. “It should be a tough race. Kevin Wallis’ filly (Burning Point) will be tough, and Dave Boughton’s filly (Lucky Irma) is tough, and I was surprised that the filly who finished third in our race (Northern Harmony), finished third.”
Armbro Athletic posted a 1:54 victory in last Monday’s elimination round, besting Feathery Fame and Northern Harmony by one and a quarter lengths. Although it was the slowest of the three eliminations, Armbro Athletic’s victory featured an impressive :26.4 final quarter, setting the filly up as one of the favourite’s in this week’s $130,000 Final.
“She raced really good last week, and I don’t think she was tiring at the end,” notes Childs. “We knew she would race real good because she trained good and she qualified good.”
After making just one start as a two-year-old, a runner-up finish in a Grassroots event, Armbro Athletic made her three-year-old debut in January and quickly scored four victories in her first five starts, including a leg of the Silver Reign Series at Woodbine. She followed that up with five top three finishes, finishing off the board on just one occasion.
Rather than heading to Elmira for the first Gold event in May, trainer Bob Young decided to give Armbro Athletic a mini-vacation following her second-place performance in the May 5 final of the Princess Pacing Series. He prepped his gifted student for her Gold Series debut in a Mohawk Racetrack qualifier on June 10, where she finished third in 1:53.4 in spite of suffering interference and making a break heading into the first quarter.
“She got into some trouble in her qualifier, but it didn’t seem to bother her,” says Childs. “She was kind of flighty when we first got her, but she’s come around real good.”
Armbro Athletic and regular driver Roger Mayotte will start from Post 2 for the second time in two weeks on Monday. While another trip stalking the pacesetter would be ideal, Childs says the filly’s versatility should allow her to be a factor no matter where she lands when the gate folds in front of the fifth race field.
“You can use her speed whatever case presents itself,” he says. “She is what you call a handy filly. She can come from behind, or she can leave, or duck in, and I think she is easy to drive too, from what I understand.”
The other elimination winners, Burning Point and A And Gs Dream, will start from Post 5 and Post 8. Armbro Athletic’s connections will also have their eye on Elmira Gold Final winner Lucky Irma to their right at Post 2 and last year’s Ontario Sires Stakes superstars Northern Harmony from Post 7 and The Patriot, making her second start of the season, from Post 6.
Woodbine Racetrack’s first race is called to the post at 7:40 pm and the three-year-old pacing fillies will be biding their time in the retention barn until Race 5 when they will roar off the gate after the lion’s share of $130,000.