GLOUCESTER, ON — Ontario’s two-year-old pacing colts kicked off their Ontario Sires Stakes season with a trio of impressive miles at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Thursday evening.
Duke Of Luck opened the talent show with a 1:56.2 victory in the first elimination for trainer Bill Budd and owners C and I Siegel Racing Stable Ltd. and Herbert Siegel of Brooklyn, NY, the connections of last year’s star freshman Sir Luck.
Leaving from Post 5 driver Mike Saftic settled the Camluck son in fourth spot on the rail and watched patiently as local colt Moctar hit the opening quarter in :28.3 and then yielded to Whitesand Lord, who led the field through a :57.4 half and a 1:26.4 three-quarters. Heading for the three-quarters Saftic tipped Duke Of Luck to the outside and started to reel in the leaders. By the top of the stretch the pair were one length back in second and by the time they hit the wire there was a one and a half length gap between Duke Of Luck and Whitesand Lord. Daylon Boy was two more lengths back in third.
A $57,000 US purchase at last fall’s Harrisburg Yearling Sale, Duke Of Luck earned just over $20,000 CDN for his winning effort Thursday and could put his owners in the black with a victory in next Thursday’s $130,000 Gold Final which will see the top three finishers from each elimination, plus one fourth-place finisher drawn by lot, return to the Ottawa area oval.
The second elimination saw Caras Allamerican record a front-end victory in a comparatively leisurely 1:58.3. Top reinsman Chris Christoforou put the Grinfromeartoear son on the front end just past the quarter mile marker and held off a late challenge from Northern Regent down the stretch. Bill Budd’s second entry of the evening, Groovie Day, rounded out the top three.
Tom Artandi trains Caras Allamerican, a $31,000 US yearling at Harrisburg, for Karl Ungerman of Toronto and Philip and Dana Steinberg of Weston, FL. The colt was the heavy favourite in the sixth race based on a pair of impressive qualifying wins at the Meadowlands, the latest on June 18 in a sparkling 1:56.
Sauble Jackson and driver Stephen Byron romped to a 1:56.4 victory in the last elimination, sitting second behind Gerrys Rocket through fractions of :29, :59.2 and 1:27.3, and then shifting into overdrive down the stretch and leaving the field in their dust, six and a quarter lengths to the rear. Downhill Skier nosed out Gerrys Rocket, another Bill Budd protege, for the runner-up spot.
Sauble Hill Farms of Tara bred and own Northern Luck son Sauble Jackson, and have entrusted trainer Duane Marfisi with his care and handling this season.
Finishing fourth, and having to wait until after next Monday’s draw to book their return trip to Rideau Carleton, were Seawind Prince, Firefit and Galantine Hanover. The top three finishers from each elimination will be back in action next Thursday, July 3 in their first $130,000 Gold Final.