DUNDAS, ON — Fresh off a stakes record in the Canadian Breeders Championship, Ontario’s talented three-year-old trotting fillies arrive at Flamboro Downs on Friday afternoon for three Gold Series Eliminations.
Reigning Gold Final and Canadian Breeders champion McCall Magic leads the charge of fillies onto the Dundas oval and will make her bid for a fifth victory from Post 2 in Race 8. Hoping to derail the champion for the second time in two weeks is Trophy Hall, owned by WDM Stables of Burlington, who will start from Post 6 in the eighth race.
Since the addition of trotting hopples to the Angus Hall daughter’s racing kit on June 25, Trophy Hall has amassed an impressive record of one win and two seconds in three starts, including a 1:55.4 upset in her July 23 Canadian Breeders elimination.
“Obviously she was breaking a lot so Don (LeBlanc) though the hopples would do her some good,” says owner Wayne Moriarity. “He thought she had the potential, but she’d never really shown that kind of speed. I think he was surprised.”
Trainer Don LeBlanc made the decision to add hopples after Trophy Hall made a disheartening break in the Casual Breeze Stake at Mohawk Racetrack on June 4. In her first qualifier with the extra support she still made a break off the gate, but was able to recover and finish in 2:03.1, and in a second qualifier she delivered a flawless performance to finish a narrowly beaten second in 2:00.3.
A hard fought runner-up finish in a maiden event at Woodbine Racetrack on July 8 earned the filly her ticket into the Canadian Breeders event where she surprised fans with a 1:55.4 front end effort and foiled McCall Magic’s attempt to extend her win streak to four races. In the July 31 Final Trophy Hall and driver Paul MacDonell pressured pacesetter Ifhallscouldtalk through the last turn, but could not hold off the fast closing McCall Magic in the stretch and settled for second.
Trophy Hall’s recent exploits have been especially satisfying for Moriarity and LeBlanc, who have been waiting patiently for their investment to pay off since acquiring the filly last summer.
“We bought her last summer from Chris Beaver,” recalls Moriarity. “She was an Angus Hall and she had already been in 2:03. Don saw her qualify and liked the way she was going, but just after we bought her it turned out she had a fracture so she had to have an operation and be turned out.”
The filly will continue her sophomore comeback on Friday in the third of three Gold Eliminations, Races 4, 6 and 8 on Flamboro Downs’ 2:45 pm program. The top three finishers from each elimination will return to the Dundas half-mile on Friday, Aug. 13 for their third $130,000 Gold Final.