WINDSOR, ON — Reason To Smile made his Ontario Sires Stakes debut a golden one, capturing the fastest of three Gold Series Eliminations at Windsor Raceway on Sunday evening.
The Grinfromeartoear son and driver Chris Christoforou fired directly to the front from Post 1 and rolled through fractions of :27.3, :57.2 and 1:26.1 on their way to the 1:54.4 victory. Favourite Putasmileon mounted a challenge at the three-quarter pole, but was unable to reel in Reason to Smile, who hit the wire one length on top. Grand Hall closed well to earn the third-place finisher’s share of the $41,179 elimination purse.
Nat Varty trains Reason To Smile for Perfect World Enterprises of Old Westbury, NY, who acquired the colt for US$30,000 at last fall’s Tattersalls Yearling Sale in Kentucky. The young pacer made his debut in an Oct. 6 non-winners of one race event at Mohawk Racetrack, where he zipped around the seven-eighths mile oval in 1:54.1. One week later he was second in a non-winners of two race over a sloppy Mohawk track, giving Windsor fans good reason to send him off as their second choice Sunday.
Our Lucky Killean captured the second Gold Elimination with a comparatively sedate 1:56.2 front-end performance. Local reinsman Kevin Wallis engineered the two and one-quarter length victory over Armbro Balmoral and Cozy Xample for trainer Brett Pelling and owners Russell Williams of Hanover, PA and Robert Waxman of Ancaster.
A $230,000 yearling purchase, the Camluck colt boosted his earnings to $119,033 with the win, just his second of the season.
The last elimination saw Uptown Casino score an upset when favourite Apache Limo carved all the fractions, then faded through the stretch. Both Uptown Casino and Up Front Rustler were able to circle the tiring pacesetter, with Uptown Casino and driver Roger Mayotte delivering the sharper finishing kick to score the 1:55 victory.
Joseph Intine trains Camluck son Uptown Casino for Touch Stone Farms of Guelph and Mary Intine of Brantford. The victory was the gelding’s first in 10 tries and moved him $20,000 closer to repaying his US$25,000 yearling purchase price.
The top three colts from each elimination will return to Windsor Raceway next Sunday, Nov. 2 for their last $130,000 Gold Final, wrapping up another outstanding season of Ontario Sires Stakes racing at the Windsor oval.