LONDON, ON — Ontario’s three-year-old pacing colts will flex their powerful muscles for the first time this season as Western Fair Raceway plays host to three $39,000 Gold Series Eliminations Friday evening.
Among the brawny youngsters hoping to earn a share of the $18 million up for grabs in the 2006 Ontario Sires Stakes program is Spokesman, who was the second highest money earner on the freshman circuit last season. Trained by London resident Murray Preszcator, Spokesman earned $186,786 in the provincial program as a two-year-old, but the colt will have to overcome Post 6 to earn a cheque in his sophomore debut.
“The division is nice,” notes the colt’s owner, Dr. Paul Gatfield of Denfield, “But the six-hole in London is not a good post.”
Spokesman heads into the race off a pair of qualifying wins, a 1:57.4 joy ride around the London oval on April 28 and a 1:56 effort at Mohawk Racetrack on May 9. Last season the colt demonstrated a quick turn of foot at the start of several Ontario Sires Stakes races, and he carved all the fractions in both of his recent qualifiers, but Gatfield does not expect to see driver Steve Condren vying for the early lead on Friday.
“I doubt Steve will leave, knowing him,” says the long time owner. “There will be a real charge from the horses inside him.”
As a two-year-old Spokesman captured two Gold Eliminations and was never worse than fourth in Gold Series action. Gatfield acquired the regally bred son of Camluck and Simply Ravishing for $75,000 at the 2004 Forest City Yearling Sale in London and the colt had returned the investment after his first four starts.
“I picked him out,” recalls Gatfield. “I always have Murray (Preszcator) or Jerry Sims look at them too, but I liked him.
“I’m kicking myself about the mare (Simply Ravishing), actually. She sold (in January), in foal, for peanuts in New Jersey and I didn’t go. I thought she’d go for a lot, but she didn’t.”
At $244,786 Spokesman is Simply Ravishing’s most successful offspring and Gatfield is hoping the young pacer can continue to edge his way toward the $500,000 earnings mark his mother achieved. The first hurdle is finishing in the top two on Friday, as only the first two finishers are guaranteed a berth in the $130,000 Gold Final on May 24. A total of eight colts will put their noses on the gate in the Final, with the last two starters determined by a draw between the third-place finishers.
Also gunning for a top two result in the third elimination are Spokesman’s former Gold rivals Hombre, who will start from Post 7, and Impeccable, a three-time early season winner who gets the trailing Post 8.
Headlining the first elimination is Champ Of Mischief, who heads into his Ontario Sires Stakes debut on a three-race win streak that saw him post a 1:50.4 sizzler at Woodbine Racetrack on May 8. Trained by Canada’s leading trainer Casie Coleman, and piloted by leading driver Mark MacDonald, Champ Of Mischief starts from Post 4 in the first race on Western Fair Raceway’s 7:35 pm program.
Also making his debut on the provincial scene is Stormaway, who will start from Post 3 in the fourth race. Through 10 lifetime starts Stormaway has only been bested once, losing by a head to Dodgeball in the Apaches Fame Series Final at Woodbine on March 24. Dodgeball will take a run at Stormaway’s current win streak from Post 6 in the second elimination.
Western Fair Raceway fans will also be treated to action from some of the provincial program’s former stars as last season’s sophomore champion Astronomical returns to Ontario soil to take on rival Grand Bend Turbo and four other veteran performers in the Open Pace. The gifted three-year-old pacing colts kick off the Friday evening excitement at 7:35 pm, with the other two eliminations slated as Races 4 and 7, and the open pacers going postward in Race 10.