REXDALE, ON — When the three-year-old pacing colts congregate at Woodbine Racetrack on Saturday evening all of the top dogs will be on hand for the Gold Series event, along with a surprising number of colts making their 2003 debut in the provincial stakes program.
Of the 28 colts ready to square off in three Gold Eliminations Saturday, 16 are Gold Series veterans, five are making the leap up from the Grassroots Series and seven have not seen action in the Ontario Sires Stakes program this season. George Millar’s Everton is among the young pacers using the Woodbine Gold event as a proving ground and the Newmarket resident is hopeful the Pacific Rocket son is up to the challenge.
“I wanted to give him a shot at the Gold, and he has enough starts this year he should be tight enough and have enough experience,” says Millar. “On Saturday it will give us a little better idea if he can go with the Gold colts. He’s still got to get down to 1:51, but I was pretty impressed with the way he raced last night (Monday).”
On July 28 Everton earned his ticket into the Gold Elimination by trouncing a non-winners of two races field at Woodbine with an impressive come-from-behind effort. Leaving from Post 9 Keith Oliver let the colt dawdle at the rear of the field until the final turn when he started to pick off horses with the accuracy of a trained marksman. Fifth at the top of the stretch, Everton powered home to a three-quarter length victory in 1:54.3. He also captured a July 21 non-winners of one race event at Woodbine with a front end performance in a personal best 1:53.
“He could have raced in the Grassroots the last time (June 30), but I couldn’t see much point in taking him to the Grassroots at Elmira for $18,000 when I can race for $18,000 downtown (Woodbine),” says Millar, “And we were still trying to develop his speed at that point, and it’s much easier to do that on a bigger track.”
Millar acquired Everton at the 2001 Canadian Classic Yearling Sale for a hefty $150,000, hoping the youngster would have the same sort of success his half-brother Camystic did in the Ontario Sires Stakes program. Camystic earned Millar $633,068 during impressive two and three-year-old campaigns highlighted by a victory in the 2001 Super Final for freshman pacing colts.
“He’s one of your expensive purchases that you go, “Uh, oh.” Only $120,000 to go and I’m out,” says Millar with a laugh. “But I figure the family doesn’t owe me anything. I did pretty well with Camystic.”
Everton will make his Ontario Sires Stakes debut from Post 4 in the eighth race, with regular reinsman Keith Oliver handling the lines. The duo face a line-up of Gold Series regulars including Canadian Breeders Champion Boulder Creek from Post 6.
Woodbine Racetrack sounds the call to the post at 7:40 pm on Saturday evening and turns the spotlight on the fast three-year-old pacing colts in Races 4, 6, and 8. Only the top three colts from each elimination, plus one fourth-place finisher selected by random draw, will return to Woodbine next Saturday, Aug. 9 for the third $130,000 Gold Final.