REXDALE, ON — By the time the three-year-old trotting colts parade onto Woodbine Racetrack for the second of three Gold Eliminations on Saturday evening, Bill Companion figures the shock of seeing his novice trotter Colonel Talbot’s name listed right next to Tie Silk winner Long On Ability and last season’s Gold Series champion Majestic Son will have abated.

“That’s a tough division,” laments the Rockwood resident. “My colt’s only got four starts and to throw him in there against… Geez, that’s a tough bunch of horses. That’s almost the Gold Final right there.”

Companion has carefully managed Colonel Talbot’s young race career since the Mr Lavec son qualified on March 31 and he would much rather have drawn in with some of the other horses that have yet to see any serious stake action. Instead Colonel Talbot will cut his teeth against seven colts who have a minimum of nine starts and $37,000 in earnings under their belt, five colts who competed in the Gold Series at two — three in the season ending Super Final — and the top three finishers from the Tie Silk Series Final held at Woodbine on April 24.

“That’s just dumb luck,” says Companion wryly. “I’m a little sour about it, but I’ll get over it. I always do.”

While Colonel Talbot’s experience lags behind his peers in Saturday’s third race, his race record bears up well under comparison. Since his runner-up finish in qualifying action, Colonel Talbot is undefeated through four starts. Making his debut at Kawartha Downs on April 13 he stuck a nose in front at the wire to score a 2:04.2 victory and then came back the following week with a front end triumph in 1:59. Moving north to Georgian Downs the gelding earned a neck victory in 1:59.4 on May 2 and then tried his hand over the Woodbine oval on May 11, where he posted a 1:59.4 win over a track rated one second slower than normal.

“I’ve been trying to be very careful about where I’ve been racing him,” explains Companion, who shares ownership on the colt with Fred and Layhoon Chan Brunner of Etobicoke. “I paid him up to the Tie Silk, but then I got looking at it, and I knew they were going to go around 1:57, 1:56 and I thought, why stretch his neck right now?”

The gelding did not compete as a two-year-old after suffering an injury early last summer, so Companion and the Brunner’s were already used to the patient approach, and their decision to skip the early season stakes seems to have paid off.

“I knew last year he seemed to be a really nice colt, and injuries are always devastating as hell, but we persevered,” says the horseman. “And so far he’s done everything I’ve asked of him.”

Colonel Talbot will start from Post 4 in Saturday’s third race, with Long On Ability and Majestic Son lining up directly to his right at Posts 5 and 6, and the gelding will have his work cut out for him earning the necessary top three finish to advance to the June 3 Gold Final.

“Hopefully he does his best,” says Companion. “He’s been really honest so far, but Saturday is going to be a big test for him.”

In addition to Race 3 on Woodbine Racetrack’s Saturday evening program, the three-year-old trotting colts will kick things off in Race 1 at 7:40 pm and wrap up their three elimination show down in Race 6. The top three finishers from each elimination, plus one fourth-place finisher drawn by lot, will return to the Toronto oval to compete in the first $130,000 Gold Final of their season on June 3.

For complete entries please go to:

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