INNISFIL, ON — When the three-year-old pacing colts rocketed off the gate at Georgian Downs on Saturday evening, fans were double checking their X-treme Horsepower programs to make sure they were watching a Gold Final and not the five-eighths of a mile sprint.

Locked in a fierce battle for control of the front end, Bigtime Ball and Wholly Louy hit the opening quarter in an eye-popping :25.4. Rolling toward the second corner driver Dan Clements and Wholly Louy bowed out of the fight and dropped in behind Bigtime Ball and Paul MacDonell, who immediately cooled the pace to give the field a much needed breather.

Marching to a :55.1 half and a 1:23.1 three-quarters, Bigtime Ball had Wholly Louy sitting on his tail and the rest of the colts trying to marshal an offence up the outside, but the Presidential Ball son seemed to be maintaining a one and one-quarter length lead without much effort.

Turning for home fans wondered if the early speed would catch up with the favourites, but when MacDonell shifted Bigtime Ball into overdrive the gelding responded with a finishing kick that kept him a length in front of a hard charging CMR Matt Three and Wholly Louy. Reigning Gold Final champion Sergei Seelster had to settle for fourth and Deuces And Jacks rounded out the top five.

Bigtime Ball’s first Ontario Sires Stakes victory was clocked in 1:51.3, tying the three-year-old pacing colt track record set by Armbro Balmoral in 2004.

Cobourg resident Gordon Irwin bred, owns and trains Bigtime Ball, who has five wins, one third and $107,168 in earnings to his credit through eight lifetime starts. However, the talented young pacer still has a long way to go before he catches up with his half-sister Invitro, who has earned $2 million in her five-year racing career and was an Ontario Sires Stakes division champion at three.

Bigtime Ball will have his next opportunity to outdo his sibling when the three-year-old pacing colts resume their Gold Series battle on Aug. 5 at Mohawk Racetrack.

Ontario Sires Stakes excitement continues to build this month at Georgian Downs as the Innisfil oval gets set to welcome the two-year-old trotting fillies in their Gold Series debut on Tuesday, July 17.

For complete results please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/results/data/rgeodfsa.html#N7