INNISFIL, ON — In last week’s elimination B Cor Rennegade and driver David Boughton impressed Georgian Downs fans with a powerful move that propelled them from last to first, but heading into Tuesday’s Gold Final trainer Garth Gordon would prefer something a little less heart stopping.

“I wasn’t quite expecting him to do it the way he did. He got away dead last,” says Gordon of the two-year-old trotter’s elimination performance. “He’s got a good post position again, but David better get him away a little closer to the front this week.”

The 2:00.2 victory was the latest in a series of pleasant surprises B Cor Rennegade has wrought on Gordon and his partners Jean Brechkow of Amherstburg, Bobby Brown of Kingsville and James Walker of Port Perry, the first being his economical purchase price.

“Jean Brechkow called and asked me to go and take a look at him last fall, she liked the pedigree,” recalls Gordon. “I didn’t really like the looks of him, he’s back on his knees and a little sickle hocked, but he videoed well so I said to Jean, �He’s not going to sell for anything, so we might as well take a poke at him.’ I had $12,000 in mind and he sold for $9,000.”

Once the CR Renegade son arrived in Gordon’s barn, he continued to surprise the partners, breezing through his early lessons and buckling down to the serious work required for a freshman campaign. Heading toward the start of the Ontario Sires Stakes program Gordon was confident he had a contender on his hands, but he didn’t realise just how good the gelding was until his June 28 qualifier.

“My plan with the trotter was to go to the first three B’s (Grassroots) and then hook into the A’s (Gold Series) for the third one,” says the Guelph resident. “But he qualified so well — David said to me after the qualifier, �I think I’d go to the Gold with this one’ — I changed my plans.”

After spending a good chunk of the qualifier hanging out on the outside, B Cor Rennegade powered to the front around the last turn and trotted under the wire five and a quarter lengths on top in 2:01.1 to earn his place among the Gold Series colts. He proved conclusively that he belonged in the top tier with his come-from-behind sweep last Tuesday, the 2:00.2 mile being the fastest of the four eliminations.

“He’s been a nice surprise,” says Gordon. “We’re hoping he’ll do all right.”

B Cor Rennegade and David Boughton will start from Post 3 in Tuesday’s $130,000 showdown, with the other three elimination winners lining up to his right — Mr Ontario will start from Post 5, Onearmbandit gets Post 6 and Indiana Hall gets the outside Post 9.

Georgian Downs’ first race rolls onto the five-eighths oval at 7:35 pm and the two-year-old trotting colts will take their place in the spotlight in Race 7.

For complete entries please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/entries/data/egeodftu.html