REXDALE, ON — James Dean did not have much luck in the post position draw for Saturday’s $2.4 million Super Final Championships at Woodbine Racetrack, but the Campbellville resident is looking at his outside posts as a sign of better things to come.

“The two-year-olds couldn’t have drawn any worse. It’s a good thing there were only six fillies in Rosapenna’s race,” says Dean wryly. “We need some luck and hopefully, with the bad luck in the draw, that’s out of the way now.”

Dean’s two-year-old pacing filly Rosapenna will start from Post 6 in the six filly field in Race 4, two-year-old pacing colts Domitian Hanover and Raw Energy will start from Posts 9 and 10 in the sixth race and three-year-old pacing colt Doonbeg will make his bid for a Super Final title from Post 7 in Race 10.

“It doesn’t really matter where he draws,” says Dean of the diminutive Doonbeg, who has won the hearts of fans across the province with his gutsy performances in the Ontario Sires Stakes program and against the continent’s top colts. “He’s back to his old self there. I was pleased with the way he raced in his last start.”

Bred and owned by brothers Clay Harland Horner and Scott Horner of Toronto and Stew Firlotte’s Torlando Farms of Orlando, FL, the son of Camluck and St Mattricks Way heads into Saturday’s $300,000 showdown off his third Gold Final victory, a 1:51 half length decision at Mohawk Racetrack on Oct. 6. The win was Doonbeg’s seventh in a 15 race season that has seen him finish out of the top three on just two occasions.

Freshman pacing colt Domitian Hanover also heads into his Super Final off an impressive effort. Another son of Camluck, the colt delivered a 1:52.3 triumph at Mohawk Racetrack on Sept. 30 to claim the last Gold Final title of the season.

“Domitian raced huge his last start,” says Dean. “He’s kind of a quiet, lazy colt. It took a couple of starts to get him rolling, but hopefully he’s come out of his shell now.”

Owned by the Horners, Domitian Hanover boasts a record of three wins, one second and three thirds in nine starts. The young pacer started his season with a win in the Grassroots program at Georgian Downs on July 18 then finished third in his Battle of Waterloo Elimination at Grand River Raceway on July 31. Scratched out of the Battle of Waterloo Final due to sickness, he emerged onto the Gold Series scene with an elimination win at Flamboro Downs on Aug. 13.

John Campbell will drive Domitian Hanover, while Chris Christoforou, Jr. steers Raw Energy in the sixth race. While Raw Energy failed to make the Sept. 30 Gold Final his stablemate won, Dean says the Astreos colt is in fine fettle heading into Saturday’s race and could be a threat in spite of his outside post.

“He’s as good as he’s been all year,” notes the trainer. “Domitian Hanover looks like the better of the two right now, but Raw Energy wouldn’t surprise me if he came up with a big race, even from the ten-hole.”

The winner of the second and third Gold Finals of the season, Raw Energy is owned by breeder Chris Christoforou, Sr. of Campbellville, Banjo Farms of Toronto and Alvin Stein of Ottawa. Through nine starts the colt has recorded two wins, two seconds and one third and earned $154,155.

Like her masculine stablemates, two-year-old pacing filly Rosapenna landed the outside post in her $300,000 season finale and will line up beside division leader Luck Of Michelle, who has only been bested once in Gold Series competition.

“She’s coming good. She improves every start,” says Dean. “She’s a grinder. Except for her first start she’s never missed a cheque.”

The full-sister to Doonbeg finished second in the Oct. 5 Gold Final and Dean says driver Jody Jamieson was very pleased with her performance over the Rideau Carleton Raceway oval.

“She’s always been kind of hesitant at the gate,” he explains, “But Jody said at Rideau she wanted to get off the wings better than she had been.”

Jamieson will pilot both siblings on Saturday, and would love to extend his own outstanding season with a couple of healthy Super Final cheques.

Post time at Woodbine Racetrack on Saturday is 7:40 pm and the Super Final battles will be waged in Races 3 through 10. Rosapenna and her two-year-old pacing filly peers will roll up behind the gate in Race 4, Dean’s two-year-old pacing colt entry will compete in Race 6 and Doonbeg and his tough sophomore pacing colt rivals will wrap things up in Race 10.

For complete entries please go to:

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