LONDON, ON — There was a chill in the air trackside at Western Fair Raceway on Friday evening, but out on the racing surface the three-year-old pacing colts were locking horns in the first of six heated Gold Series battles they will fight this season.

Emerging triumphant on Friday night were Deuces And Jacks, Cam Cool and Sergei Seelster, with all three colts making victory look easy.

Deuces And Jacks set the standard for the evening with a 1:54.1 front end romp from Post 4 that saw him hit the wire two lengths ahead of favourite Warrawee Ideal and the locally owned Twin B Survivor.

Al Cullen piloted Deuces And Jacks to the win, the colt’s second of the year, for owner and trainer Donald Lowes of Paris. The Million Dollar Cam son’s first victory came in the May 24 Clearwater Cup Final at Hiawatha Horse Park, and he has not finished worse than second since kicking off his sophomore campaign in early May.

Driver Randy Waples adopted Cullen’s front end strategy for his own in the second elimination, teaming Cam Cool to a gate-to-wire victory in 1:55. Sent off as the fan favourite from the advantageous Post 1, Cam Cool cruised under the wire two and a half lengths in front of longshot Manapita, and five lengths ahead of Camifications.

Trainer Bob McIntosh of LaSalle, Al McIntosh Holdings Inc. of Leamington and C S X Stables of Liberty Center, OH bred and own Cam Cool, who was making his fourteenth start of the year. The win boosted the Camluck gelding’s already impressive record to eight wins, two seconds and two thirds and earnings of $124,768.

Starting from Post 7 in the last elimination, Sergei Seelster was the only colt to employ off the pace tactics en route to the Ontario Sires Stakes winner’s circle Friday. Driver Brad Forward opted to sit at the rear of the eight horse field as Daddy Mac and Semalu Express fought their way through a :27 quarter, :55.4 half and 1:24.2 three-quarters. Five and one-quarter lengths back as the colts turned for home, Sergei Seelster exploded down the stretch to claim a one and one-quarter length victory in 1:54.4.

Favourite Daddy Mac, another McIntosh trainee, and rival Semalu Express settled for the second and third-place finisher’s shares of the $43,143 purse.

A Gold Elimination winner as a two-year-old, Sergei Seelster now has two wins under his belt through seven starts this season. The Rustler Hanover gelding spent the month of June battling the best colts in North America at Mohawk Racetrack, finished second in his Burlington Stakes division and seventh in his North America Cup elimination.

Bill Elliott trains Sergei Seelster for Gary Smith of Burlington and Lloyd Nicholson of Campbellville.

The top two finishers from each elimination, plus lucky third-place finishers Semalu Express and Camifications, will return to Western Fair Raceway next Friday, June 29 for the first $130,000 Gold Final on their schedule. The colts will line up behind the starting gate as follows:

Post 1 Cam Cool

Post 2 Semalu Express

Post 3 Daddy Mac

Post 4 Sergei Seelster

Post 5 Warrawee Ideal

Post 6 Deuces And Jacks

Post 7 Camifications

Post 8 Manapita

Also Eligible 1 Twin B Survivor

Also Eligible 2 The Scalawag

Also Eligible 3 Wantasmile

For complete results please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/results/data/rlonfr.html