GLOUCESTER, ON — Dr Robert Johns established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the two-year-old trotting colt division with an impressive track and Ontario Sires Stakes record victory at Rideau Carleton Raceway Sunday evening.

Competing in his first Gold Final, and just his third start of the season, Dr Robert Johns fired out of Post 5 on Sunday night and never glanced back. Through fractions of :29.3, :59.4 and 1:28.1 the Balanced Image son and driver Sylvain Filion maintained a two length advantage over their rivals, easily dealt with a challenge by Majestic Son at the three-quarter pole and cruised home the winners in a record setting 1:57.3.

Majestic Son, owned by David Reid of Glenburnie, David McDonald of Cornwall, A K Malik Stable of Ottawa and Malcolm Man Son Hing of Nepean, survived a brutal trip up the outside to earn the runner-up’s share of the $130,000 purse and Was It A Dream finished two more lengths back in third.

Dr Robert Johns’s 1:57.3 mile shaved two-fifths of a second of the former track and Ontario Sires Stakes record established by Sires Stakes star Botany Bay in 1998. The freshman trotter is the third Ontario Sires Stakes competitor to lower a Rideau Carleton Raceway track record this season. Three-year-old trotting colt Brancaleone and two-year-old trotting filly Birminghim also chalked their names into the Ottawa oval’s history books this summer.

Moffat resident Anders Wolden trains Dr Robert Johns for his partner Katherine Moi, also of Moffat. The pair acquired the colt at last fall’s Tattersalls Yearling Sale for $16,000 and have banked $82,227 on his behalf through three starts.

After a pair of early season qualifiers at Mohawk Racetrack, Wolden started Dr Robert Johns in the July 14 Grassroots season opener at Hiawatha Horse Park. Sent off as the fan favourite based on his 2:01.3 win in qualifying action on June 25, the young trotter made a break around the last turn and finished a disappointing sixth.

Scratched out of the July 23 Grassroots event due to sickness, Dr Robert Johns returned to action in an Aug. 12 qualifier at Mohawk that saw him cruise to victory in 2:02.4. Then in last week’s elimination round, the colt sprinted off the starting gate from Post 8 and commanded the race from start to finish, clocking a personal best 1:59.4 and earning his first victory.

Sent off as the fan’s second choice behind reigning Gold Final champion Majestic Son, Dr Robert Johns returned $6.10 to win, $2.70 to place and $2.40 to show. Majestic Son’s runner-up effort was worth $3.20 on a place ticket and $2.60 on a show wager, while Was It A Dream paid $650 to show. The exactor was worth $19.50 and the triactor returned $122.40.

Dr Robert Johns will take aim on his second Gold Series title at Mohawk Racetrack on Sept. 26, while Ontario Sires Stakes action returns to Rideau Carleton Raceway this Thursday, Sept. 1 with a double-header of Trillium action for the two-year-old pacing fillies and Gold Final excitement for the three-year-old trotting fillies.

For complete results please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/results/data/rridcfsu.html#N6