ELORA, ON — World Class Image lived up to her name and her price tag on Monday, capturing the $130,000 Gold Final at Grand River Raceway in a track record 2:03.3.
A $130,000 yearling purchase last fall, World Class Image and trainer Pat Hunt eased out of Post 4 and were 12 lengths behind pacesetter B Cor Renee at the :28.4 opening quarter. Stepping to the outside the pair had closed the gap to seven and a half lengths by the 1:01.1 half and four and three-quarter lengths by the 1:32.1 three-quarters, but as the fillies straightened out for home World Class Image was still in seventh spot with a lot of ground to make up.
However, after the dust settled from the nail biting stretch drive it was World Class Image on top by one length, local favourite Dream On Bernie second and pacesetter B Cor Renee hanging on to the third spot.
Thomas and Elizabeth Rankin of St. Catharines own World Class Image, who now has two straight victories under her belt for earnings of $75,829. The royally bred daughter of top trotting sire Balanced Image and $484,208 winner Gramola started her career with a break in the season opening Gold Elimination, and Cambridge resident Hunt seriously considered skipping the Grand River event. The filly rebounded with a 2:06.4 victory in her July 23 elimination, but Grand River fans were still cautious, sending her off as their eighth choice in the 10-horse field.
As a result World Class Image’s victory returned $47.90, $11.40 and $7.80 on each $2 win, place and show wager. Elimination winner Dream On Bernie, owned by trainer-driver George Zirnis of Elmira, caretaker Tanya Martin of Elmira, Janet Fairall of Windsor and Nancy Holmes of Clinton, went off as the fourth choice and returned $8.10 to place and $4.70 to show. The second longest shot on the board, B Cor Renee’s third-place effort was worth $10.50 to her fans. The exactor paid $321.20 and fans playing the numbers 4, 6 and 1 on their triactor ticket earned a whopping $4,959.30.
Favourites Real Live Woman and Lookit, both starting from the second tier, made early breaks and were never a factor in the race.
Four races after the fillies brought the crowd to their feet, Ontario Sires Stakes star Banner Yankee captured the $320,000 Battle Of Waterloo with a stellar front end effort in 1:56. The Grinfromeartoear colt is owned by the Banner Yankee Stable of Princeton and was driven to the win by Jody Jamieson. It was Jamieson’s second victory in the rich event and his father Carl Jamieson, who trains the colt, carried home his fourth Battle Of Waterloo trophy.
The two-year-old trotting fillies resume their Gold Series rivalry on Aug. 25 at Windsor Raceway, while Ontario Sires Stakes excitement returns to Grand River Raceway on Friday, Aug. 27 with Grassroots action for the three-year-old trotting colts.