LONDON, ON — One of Western Fair Raceway’s oldest track records will be in jeopardy Friday evening when Ontario’s most talented three-year-old trotting fillies arrive at the London oval for their second Gold Series event of the season.

Twelve years ago Dave Wall piloted Go To The Top to a spectacular 13 and one half length win in a track record 1:59.2. On Friday Wall will have two chances to shatter that record, with the John Bax trainees that finished first and second in the first Gold Final of the season.

“I like to say one’s quicker and the other’s faster,” quips Bax about Oaklea Odessa and Oaklea Omega. “They are both big, strong, good gaited Balanced Image fillies. They look the part, and they look like they should get better.”

Both fillies head in to Friday night’s Gold Elimination from the $559,200 Elegantimage Final at Woodbine Racetrack last Saturday. Oaklea Omega finished fourth, but her stablemate had to settle for seventh after battling for the lead through fractions of :26.4, :55.4 and 1:25.1.

“She got really roughed up on Saturday, we’ll have to see how she comes out of it,” notes Bax. “But I’m hoping they’ll be able to handle the long season.”

In their second Gold Elimination outing Oaklea Omega and Wall will start from Post 3 in the fifth race, while Wall will steer reigning Gold Final champion Oaklea Odessa from Post 3 in Race 7.

Bax shares ownership on Oaklea Omega with Brilo Farms of Sharon, Glenn Van Camp of Port Perry and Venture K Stable of Little Britain. The partners acquired the filly for $28,000 as a yearling and she went on to earn $78,993 as a two-year-old, posting a record of two wins, one second and three thirds in nine starts.

This season Oaklea Omega made two starts in overnight action, finishing second and sixth, before earning the runner-up cheque in her elimination and the final of the season opening Gold Series event. Her first victory of the sophomore campaign came in a division of the Casual Breeze Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack on June 2 and she followed it up with a second triumph in her Elegantimage Elimination on June 9 before finishing fourth in last weekend’s final.

“She got hurt last fall, the other one kicked her in the leg, that’s why we had to quit with her,” says Bax. “It took a little longer for her to come around this year, but she seems to be over the kick.”

The Peterborough resident’s Parkhill Stud Farm also owns a share of Oaklea Odessa, along with Ariel Stables of North York and Glenn Van Camp. A $21,000 yearling, Oaklea Odessa posted one win, two seconds, six thirds and earnings of $99,799 through 14 starts as a two-year-old. Making her debut in a non-winners of two contest at Woodbine in April, the filly delivered an impressive 1:57.3 victory and went on to capture her next four starts, including her elimination and the final of the first Gold Series event and her Casual Breeze division. Her first loss came in the Elegantimage elimination, where she finished second.

“They were lucky coming back. They didn’t have many wins on their card, so they were able to start off at a lower level and get braved up,” says Bax. “Certainly with the Odessa filly, she won four or five in a row, there was a real advantage to starting her off fairly easy.

“I wouldn’t say they have been a surprise, but you never know how they will come back, so I’m going to enjoy it,” adds the veteran horseman. “They are obviously a nice pair of fillies to have and I’m very happy with them.”

Western Fair Raceway’s first race goes postward at 7:35 pm on Friday and the three-year-old trotting fillies will battle for a top four placing in Races 5 and 7. The top four finishers from each elimination will return to London for their $130,000 Gold Final on Friday, June 30.

For complete entries please go to:

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