WINDSOR, ON — When sophomore pacing filly Invitro returns to Windsor Raceway on Sunday for the last $130,000 Gold Final of her career, the moment will be just one of many etched into the memories of owners Gord Irwin and Murray Ross.
“It’s been a great ride,” says Ross, of the filly’s 14 win, $876,289 career.
The ride began back in 2000 when the partners decided to follow a still unconventional path and breed Keystone Trinidad to Camluck through in vitro fertilization, and then use a surrogate mare to carry the resulting embryo while Keystone Trinidad continued to race. Both procedures were successful and Invitro was foaled on April 14, 2001 at Ross’ Norwood area farm.
When it came time to learn the ins and outs of racing Irwin took the yearling filly to Florida for the winter and brought her home ready to be turned over to trainer-driver Doug Brown. At two the talented Invitro captured four races including her season debut in a Grassroots event, a Flamboro Breeders division and a Gold Elimination. She posted her season’s best 1:53 in an overnight event at Mohawk.
This season the petite brown filly has been nothing short of phenomenal, dominating her Ontario Sires Stakes division since June and delivering impressive results in her first test against her American breed peers. Through 15 starts she and driver Paul MacDonell have posted 10 wins, two seconds and one third for earnings of $621,831 and finished second in the elimination and fourth in the final of the $705,900 Fan Hanover Stakes.
To celebrate Invitro’s success, and their first start in a stake of the Fan Hanover’s calibre, Irwin and Ross threw a party at Woodbine Racetrack the night of the elimination (Aug. 21).
“There were 92 people there and I think everybody enjoyed themselves,” says Ross. “Some people who weren’t involved in racing were back the next week to see the Final, so hopefully it sparked some interest.”
After her solid results in the Fan Hanover the partners are seriously considering giving Invitro a second shot at North America’s best by supplementing her into the Breeders Crown eliminations at Woodbine on Oct. 16.
“We will make up our mind Sunday night. We’ll see how she races and how she feels afterward,” notes Ross. “We’ve got to supplement her and I think the entry has to be in Monday. We’d like to give her another shot at the American fillies.”
Cobourg resident Irwin opted to maintain his status as trainer after taking the filly to Florida last winter and has spent the majority of his summer catering to Invitro’s every whim. That single-minded dedication has likely gone a long way to maintaining the filly’s health and positive mental state through a campaign that started in May.
“She’s a pretty easy keeper, she doesn’t take much work. Last week I think the harness was only on her once through the week,” says Ross. “It’s a long old grind, especially for her. She’s not a big horse and it takes its toll on her.”
Invitro will start from Post 2 in Sunday’s Gold Final, which is closer to the rail than she has been since a Gold Elimination win at Woodbine Racetrack on Aug. 7. All seven fillies from last weekend’s elimination round will take a second attempt at bringing her Ontario Sires Stakes win streak to a halt.
Windsor Raceway’s first race goes behind the gate at 6 pm on Sunday, with the three-year-old pacing fillies wrapping up their Gold Series careers in Race 11.