GLOUCESTER, ON — Rideau Carleton Raceway’s newly minted three-year-old pacing colt track record lasted just one week as Doonbeg roared down the Ottawa oval’s stretch to a 1:51 Gold Final triumph on Thursday evening.

With regular reinsman Jody Jamieson in the race bike, Doonbeg landed on the rail in sixth as Impeccable rocked to a :26.4 opening quarter, but he did not sit for long. Heading for the :55.2 half Jamieson sent the Camluck son up the outside and by the 1:23.2 three-quarters the pair were circling three-wide with their sights set on the front.

As the colts turned for home Doonbeg was just one and a half lengths behind pacesetter Stormaway, and when he shifted into gear the diminutive pacer shot down the stretch to a one and three-quarter length win and a place in Rideau Carleton history.

Stormaway stayed game for the runner-up’s share of the $130,000 Gold Final purse, while Hyperion Hanover closed hard to nudge out Secluded Island for third.

The mile shaved two-fifths of a second off the 1:51.2 record established by Secluded Island in the elimination round last week. That mile had eclipsed a 1:52.1 mark set by Northern Luck back in 1997.

Owned by Clay Harland Horner and Scott Horner of Toronto and Torlando Farms Inc. of Orlando, FL, Doonbeg is now three for six in his sophomore campaign, with his other two wins coming in an overnight event at Woodbine Racetrack on May 23 and an elimination of the Pepsi North America Cup at Woodbine on June 10. The colt’s only off the board finish this season came in the Pepsi North America Cup Final when he made an uncharacteristic break leaving and finished well back of the field in tenth.

Campbellville resident James Dean trains the gifted young pacer, who posted a record of five wins, two seconds, one third and earnings of $185,799 in 10 starts as a two-year-old. Thursday’s triumph boosted the colt’s sophomore earnings to $124,300.

Rideau Carleton fans sent Doonbeg off as their top choice and earned $4.30 to win, $2.60 to place and $2.20 to show. Second choice Stormaway returned $2.50 to place and $3.00 to show and longshot Hyperion Hanover delivered a $5.20 show pay out. Combining the two favourites for an exactor earned fans $10.90 , throwing a longshot in for the triactor boosted the return to $106.60 and correctly selecting the top four finishers provided a $366.90 superfecta pay out.

Doonbeg will attempt to defend his Gold Final title on Aug. 6 at Windsor Raceway.

Ontario Sires Stakes excitement continues at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Sunday, July 16 when trainer Dean will return to the Ottawa oval with the reigning Gold Final winner in the two-year-old pacing colt ranks, Raw Energy. A total of 16 freshman pacing colts will square off in a pair of Gold Eliminations, the third Gold Series event on their calendar.

For complete results please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/results/data/rridcfth.html#N10