GLOUCESTER, ON — With the results of Thursday evening’s Gold Eliminations, next week’s $130,00 Gold Final at Rideau Carleton Raceway should be a memorable clash of the three-year-old trotting colt titans.
Hambletonian winner Amigo Hall returned to the Ontario Sires Stakes program for the first time since July and dominated the first Gold Elimination. With trainer Blair Burgess in the race bike, the Balanced Image son shot to the front from Post 3 and laid down fractions of :28.3, :59.2 and 1:28.1 en route to an impressive 1:57.2 victory over reigning Gold Final champ Armbro Approach and Kingdom.
Achieved Victory finished fourth and Gerry Lavec was 17 lengths back in fifth.
Breeders Walnut Hall Limited of Lexington, KY, Robert Burgess of Campbellville and Karin Olsson Burgess of Milton share ownership on Amigo Hall, who has amassed $700,620 in just 12 starts this season. In spite of his success on the world stage, Thursday’s victory was the colt’s first in Ontario Sires Stakes action.
Two races later division leader JM Vangogh put the finishing touches on an undefeated season in Gold Elimination action. The Earl son started in all five regular season Gold events and captured his elimination five times.
For the third time, trainer-driver Ron Waples opted to go directly to the front with JM Vangogh and the colt loafed through fractions of :30.1, 1:00.3 and 1:31.2 without facing a challenge from the field of six. The winner of $377,409 cruised under the wire in a sedate 2:00.1, three and a half lengths ahead of Heavy Raincoat and six and a half up on Meadowview Sunny, who recovered from an early break to cross the wire third.
D Double U and Hawaiian Clipper rounded out the top five finishers in the eighth race.
Paul Chambers of Harrington, DE and John Mello of Georgetown, MA share ownership on JM Vangogh, who suffered a career threatening injury during a Gold Elimination just over one year ago. Following the accident Waples was certain the colt would never see another racetrack, let alone compete at the top levels of the Ontario Sires Stakes program. With just the Gold Final remaining in the regular season JM Vangogh has accumulated 374 points in Gold Series action, 225 ahead of second -place Meadowview Sunny.
The top four finishers, plus one fifth-place finisher drawn by lot, will return to Rideau Carleton Raceway on Thursday, Oct. 23 for their last $130,000 Gold Final. From there the top 10 point earners will head to Mohawk Racetrack on Nov. 8 for the $300,000 Super Final.