REXDALE, ON — After competing in Grassroots and Gold Series competition last weekend, the top three-year-old pacing fillies in Ontario turn their attention to the Trillium Series at Woodbine Racetrack on Monday evening.
The Ontario sired fillies, and a handful of American-breds owned by Ontario residents, will compete for a total of $72,050 in two divisions that trainer Gregg McNair describes as wide open affairs.
“The three-year-old pacing fillies are kind of a wide open bunch right now,” says the Guelph resident, who will harness two starters Monday. “Lucks Mistress and Lady Dillinger haven’t come back as good as they were last year, we have that Claires Apache and she hasn’t come back very good, and Shes Almost Famous was scratched (from the May 29 Gold Final). That’s the top four from last year that are right out.”
With last year’s top money earners failing to live up to their advance billing, McNair opted to move former Grassroots star Fannies Fortune into the Gold Series this season and the Apaches Fame daughter delivered a pair of impressive performances in Ottawa last month. After finishing third in her elimination, Fannies Fortune overcame an early break in stride to capture the runner-up’s share of the $130,000 Gold Final, just three-quarters of a length behind winner Lady D M.
“She went a big trip after she made the break,” says McNair, who trains the filly for breeder Robert B. Chapple of Chatham. “If those other fillies had been racing real big, we probably wouldn’t have entered her, but it ended up being a good move.”
Fannies Fortune and driver Mike Saftic will start from Post 3 in the sixth race on Monday, while stablemate Smiling Beauty makes her 2005 debut from Post 8 in Race 4.
Owned by McNair, Leonard Gamble of Etobicoke and David Carson of Listowel, Smiling Beauty finished off her freshman campaign with a pair of impressive victories. Last November the Grinfromeartoear daughter captured a two-year-old filly open at Woodbine Racetrack in 1:54.1 and then outpaced division leader Lady Dillinger to win the Canadian Breeders Championship in 1:52.2.
Unfortunately, after a pair of qualifiers, McNair is questioning his decision to give the filly a winter vacation and wondering if she would have been better off wearing a harness through the off season.
“Usually when one ends up like she did — her best two starts were the last two starts of the season — I wasn’t looking for any trouble from her coming back, but I think I would have been better off training her once a week all winter instead of giving her two months off,” he says. “Once I had her right I should have kept going with her.”
Throughout last season, and through her early preparation this spring, Smiling Beauty has battled azoturia or tying-up, which results in muscle fatigue. McNair has been working hard to get the filly’s condition back under control and will test his efforts on Friday morning with a final training session over Mohawk Racetrack.
“She’s had three works in the last ten days and we’ll take her over to Mohawk again tomorrow (Friday) morning,” says the trainer. “Hopefully she can come around.”
Among the fillies Smiling Beauty will face in her season debut are Grassroots winners Fabulous Flori and Sparkys Grin, who will start from Posts 6 and 9, and Princess Pacing Series winner Ifyoucouldcwhati C, who starts from Post 7.
Woodbine Racetrack’s first race rolls in behind the starting gate at 7:40 pm on Monday, with the three-year-old pacing fillies taking centre stage in Races 4 and 6.
For a complete list of entries go to:
http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/entries/data/ewdbsmo.html