CAMPBELLVILLE, ON — Precocious two-year-old trotting filly Peaceful Way effortlessly extended her win streak to seven with a 1:58.2 victory in her Gold Elimination at Mohawk Racetrack on Friday evening.
The talented Angus Hall daughter and driver Chris Christoforou floated off the starting gate from Post 8 and landed in fourth through the :27.4 opening quarter logged by Miss Michelle H. Heading toward the :57 half Christoforou sent Peaceful Way up the outside to the lead and by the 1:27.3 three-quarters the filly had established a one and three-quarter length margin that she maintained to the finish. Miss Michelle H stayed game for second while Carla trotted into third.
Owned by trainer David Tingley of Guelph, breeder Angie Stiller of Arva and Joseph and Barbara Myers of Jamesville, VA, Peaceful Way has dominated the freshman trotting filly division since her second lifetime start on Sept. 9. In addition to Friday’s Gold Final her resume includes an elimination and the Final of the Oakville Stakes, the Sept. 21 and 28 Gold Elimination and Final and an elimination and the Final of the Goldsmith Maid. Through just eight starts she has earned $785,773.
Friday’s victory bumped Peaceful Way into second spot in the Super Final point race, just seven points behind division leader Meadowview Marion.
Ifhallscouldtalk also jumped up the point standings with her 1:59.2 victory in the second elimination. Another daughter of Angus Hall, Ifhallscouldtalk and driver Keith Oliver sat third through most of the mile while Meadowview Marion and Summerhill Hallie duelled to fractions of :28.3, :59.2 and 1:30.1 on the front end. As the leaders ran out of steam around the final turn Oliver shifted Ifhallscouldtalk into gear and joined the sprint to the finish, prevailing by one-quarter length over Crimmings and a length and a quarter over favourite Flirting Lavec.
The win was Ifhallscouldtalk’s third this season, and her second in Gold Elimination action. Trained by Rene Laarman for Melvin Hartman of Ottawa, the young trotter’s season has been plagued by breaks since an impressive debut that saw her capture her first two starts. In spite of the addition of trotting hopples in late August, Friday’s effort was the first glimmer of improvement Laarman and Hartman have seen since a runner-up finish in the Champlain Stakes on Sept. 2.
In addition to the top three finishers, fourth-place fillies Spring Audit and Zorgwijk Emani and fifth-placed Ima Sweetie Too and Yankee Dakota will return to Mohawk Racetrack next Saturday, Nov. 1 for their last $130,000 Gold Final. One week later the top 10 point earners will compete at the Campbellville oval in the $300,000 Super Final Championship.