GLOUCESTER, ON — In the days leading up to Thursday evening’s Gold Final at Rideau Carleton Raceway trainer Bill Budd was confident that Duke Of Luck was the nicest two-year-old pacing colt in his Carlisle barn. And through the early stages of the race there was no indication that the veteran trainer’s assessment was anything but dead accurate.
Sent off as the favourite, Mike Saftic fired Duke Of Luck straight to the front from Post 2. The Camluck son breezed through fractions of :27.4, :58 and 1:26.3 and at the top of the stretch had widened his lead to two lengths. However, as the freshman pacers straightened out for home Duke Of Luck showed signs of tiring and the colts behind him snapped to attention.
Among the colts sensing Duke Of Luck’s loss of rhythm was stablemate Groovie Day, Budd’s acknowledged third stringer. With Rideau Carleton regular Ted McDonald at the controls, Groovie Day had been languishing at the back of the pack while Duke Of Luck reeled off the red hot fractions. Ninth through the half, the colt had advanced to seventh by the three-quarters and was sitting fifth at the top of the stretch, four and a half lengths behind his stablemate.
As the front runners started to feel the effects of the sharp fractions Groovie Day was just getting into gear, and when the colts swept under the wire it was the Gothic Dream son who earned the quarter length victory in 1:56.4. Duke Of Luck stayed game for second and Daylon Boy earned the third-place finisher’s share of the $130,000 purse.
Like Budd, Rideau Carleton fans had considered Groovie Day a third stringer and sent him of as the longest shot on the board. As a result those who favour the underdog earned $180.60 for a win ticket, $30.40 for a place voucher and $9.80 for their show wager. Combining the stablemates in the exactor netted you $1,551.80 and adding Daylon Boy to the mix for a triactor ticket was worth an astonishing $18,310.90.
Cliff Siegel’s C and I Siegel Racing Stable Ltd. of Brooklyn, NY owns Groovie Day, who paid back his $22,000 purchase price and plenty of interest with Thursday’s victory and his third-place finish in last week’s elimination round.
With his colts finishing one-two, Siegel pocketed 75 per cent of the Gold Final purse, which will also make a dent in Duke Of Luck’s $52,000 US purchase price and Gerrys Rocket’s $31,000 US price tag.
The two-year-old pacing colts get just seven days off before their next Gold Series engagement at Woodbine Racetrack on July 10, while those who opt for the Grassroots the next time around will head for Hanover Raceway on July 12.
Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series action returns to Rideau Carleton Raceway on Sunday, July 13 with Eliminations for the two-year-old trotting fillies, who will give fans a sample of their talent in Trillium Series action at the Gloucester oval this Friday.