CAMPBELLVILLE, ON — Whatthehecklavec proved that her Canadian Breeders Championship win was no accident when the three-year-old trotting filly cruised to an effortless victory in her Gold Series debut at Mohawk Racetrack on Monday evening.

After getting away second from Post 4, Whatthehecklavec took control of the race heading for the halfway marker and never faced a challenge through the rest of the 1:57.1 mile. She hit the wire one and one-quarter lengths ahead of longshots Zorgwijk Fallon and Travelswithcharlie.

The win was the Mr Lavec daughter’s second straight and was an imitation of a Trillium Series victory in June where she fired to the front, controlled all the fractions and gave trainer-driver Randy Fritz an idea that he might see a Gold Elimination with the filly this season. The Carlisle resident shares ownership on Whatthehecklavec with breeders Jennifer and Gwendowyn Unger of Caledon East. Monday’s victory pushed the filly’s lifetime record to six wins and two seconds in 10 starts for earnings of $125,646.

Five races later World Class Image also impressed Mohawk fans as she scored her first victory of the season. Tucked in behind Whispering Girl as that filly laid down fractions of :28.3, :58.1 and 1:26.1, driver Randy Waples popped World Class Image to the outside around the final turn and the filly sprinted away from the field to a six length victory in 1:55.2.

Elena and Merry Rules earned the second and third-place shares of the $36,783 purse, while pacesetter Whispering Girl faded to fourth.

A Gold Final winner at two, World Class Image did not make her sophomore debut until July 14 at Mohawk where she finished third in an overnight event. One week later she competed against the top fillies in the Canadian Breeders Championship, finishing second to C’est Un Lucky Deal in a 1:56.1 mile. In the July 30 Canadian Breeders Final World Class Image did all the work on the front end, only to be shuffled back to fifth in the stretch.

Pat Hunt trains the Balanced Image miss for Thomas and Elizabeth Rankin of St. Thomas.

The other elimination went to Fan Favourite, who went gate to wire in 1:57.1. Honour Way attempted to reel in the pacesetter down the stretch, but had to settle for second, while Maleficent was six lengths back in third and Southern Senorita recovered from an early break to land in fourth.

The win was Fan Favourite’s second this season. The Angus Hall daughter captured her Canadian Breeders Championship elimination and then finished third behind Whatthehecklavec in the Final. Paul Buer trains last year’s Super Final winner for Joie De Vie Farm LLC of Jobstown, NJ.

The top three finishers from each elimination, plus Southern Senorita, will return to Mohawk Racetrack next Thursday, Aug. 18 for their third $130,000 Gold Final. Post positions for the Final are as follows:

Post 1 Whatthehecklavec

Post 2 Merry Rules

Post 3 Elena

Post 4 Southern Senorita

Post 5 Zorgwijk Fallon

Post 6 Fan Favourite

Post 7 Maleficent

Post 8 World Class Image

Post 9 Honour Way

Post 10 Travelswithcharlie

AE1 Philhallmonic

AE2 Whispering Girl

AE3 What Idid For Love

For complete results please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/results/data/rmohsth.html