WINDSOR, ON — When you are sitting on the kind of horsepower Steve Condren was in the two-year-old trotting colt Gold Final at Windsor Raceway on Sunday, you can afford to be patient.

Starting from Post 3 in a field of nine with prohibitive favourite Windsong Espoir, Condren’s patience was tested early. As he has in every one of the talented colt’s nine starts, the Milton resident floated Windsong Espoir off the starting gate and was sitting fourth as the fight for the front end began.

Sergeant York won the sprint off the starting gate, but his victory was short-lived as Shoeless White Sox came at him before the :29.1 opening quarter and then Pizzazzed circled around three-wide to claim the lead before the :58.3 half. As the early battles played out on the front, Condren simply sat on the outside with Windsong Espoir — the pair were fourth at the quarter and third at the half.

Pizzazzed continued to lead the field through a 1:28 three-quarters, and Condren continued to sit on the outside with Windsong Espoir. Turning for home Pizzazzed still possessed a narrow lead, but it was all over but the shouting as Condren turned Windsong Espoir loose.

The son of Kadabra and Diamond Image accelerated down the stretch to a two and three-quarter length victory in 1:57.3, well off the 1:56 Ontario Sires Stakes record he set in last weekend’s elimination, but more than enough to earn his eighth straight win and his second straight Gold Final.

Pizzazzed stayed game for second, while early leader Shoeless White Sox turned his pocket trip into a third-place finish in the $130,000 contest.

Brad Maxwell of Cambridge trains Windsong Espoir for Jerry Vanboekel of Bright, William Loyens of London and Peter Heffering and Hope Stable of Port Perry. Through nine starts the talented young trotter has already earned the partners a cool $558,004.

In addition to Sunday’s Gold Final victory, the precocious youngster captured the Sept. 30 Gold Final, two Gold Eliminations, his elimination and final of the William Wellwood Memorial, a division of the Champlain Stakes, and the final of the Bridger Trotting Series. He has rewritten history on four different occasions, setting a stakes record in the Bridger Final, a Mohawk Racetrack and Canadian record in his Wellwood Elimination, a seven-eighths mile Ontario Sires Stakes record in his Gold Final win at Mohawk, and a five-eighths mile Ontario Sires Stakes record in last weekend’s elimination romp at Windsor.

With his flawless record of four wins in four Ontario Sires Stakes starts, Windsong Espoir wraps up the Gold Series regular season in second spot in the division standings, 37 points behind leader Pizzazzed. The tenth and final stop on the colt’s freshman tour is Woodbine Racetrack for the Nov. 10 Super Final.

Ontario Sires Stakes excitement returns to Windsor Raceway on Sunday, Oct. 21 with the last Gold Series event for the three-year-old trotting fillies.

For complete results please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/results/data/rwrfsu.html#N5