CAMPBELLVILLE, ON — B Strike Three earned every inch of his Gold Final victory on Monday night, enduring a tough trip around the Mohawk Racetrack oval to claim the first three-year-old trotting crown of the season.
The colt’s arduous journey started when he landed Post 9 in the draw. Lining up behind the gate, driver Rick Zeron knew he would have to hit the gas early to land B Strike Three in contention, and the colt sprinted away from the start to a :28 opening quarter. Once he had landed on the rail, Oakville resident Zeron allowed Nureyev and Society Kad to go by, and it was Society Kad who logged the :57 half.
Glancing over his shoulder, Zeron saw a long line up of horses ready to tackle the leader, so he sent B Strike Three back after the lead heading for the 1:26 three-quarters. Society Kad fought valiantly, but B Strike Three prevailed and had pulled off to a two and three-quarter length lead by the time he turned for home.
A charging Nureyev, co-owned by Common Sense Stable of Rockwood, Swissasia of Etobicoke, Sweet Serenity Stable of Kingston and Blair Corbeil of Beaumont, AB, reduced the margin by one length in the stretch, but Monday’s Ontario Sires Stakes hardware belonged to B Strike Three. Start Livin also closed well to claim the third-place share of the $120,000 purse. All three colts are sons of Striking Sahbra.
The 1:55 clocking was a personal best for B Strike Three, who also captured his elimination last Sunday with a front end effort in 1:57.4.
“He loves to be out there and working,” said driver Zeron after the race. “You can make two or three moves with him and he’ll still go forward.”
B Strike Three prepared for his sophomore season with a pair of qualifiers at Hoosier Park in Indiana. In rein to trainer Bret Shultz, the colt posted a 2:00.2 victory on April 26 and a 1:59.1 score on May 2. Shultz then sent the colt to his longtime friend Raz Mackenzie of Elora, who will condition B Strike Three through his Ontario Sires Stakes campaign.
Shultz said the colt, owned and bred by Ben Robards III of Shepherdsville, KY, has matured since his freshman season, when he captured four wins, three seconds and one third in 11 starts for earnings of $353,439.
“He matured mentally from last year,” said Shultz. “Last year we always had trouble with his head and his mouth, which caused him to fight a little behind the gate.”
In spite of those troubles, B Strike Three captured a Flamboro Breeders division, his Wellwood Memorial elimination, and swept his elimination and the final of a Gold event at Mohawk in early August. He finished second in the season ending Super Final to division stand out Windsong Espoir.
In the Gold Consolation, Define The World and driver Randy Waples made a bold three-wide move at the three-quarter pole to claim the lead and then fought off all comers in the lane, hanging on for a three-quarter length victory in 1:57. Pacesetter Pizzazzed held on for second, fending off an accelerating Hit The Mark.
Al Libfeld of Pickering bred and owns Define The World, who now has four wins in six starts this season. John Bax trains the gelding, a son of his former Ontario Sires Stakes star Duke Of York.
The trotting colts will return to Gold Series action on June 21 at Georgian Downs. Many of the Gold competitors will fill the intervening weeks with the Goodtimes Stake eliminations at Mohawk on Friday, June 6. Ontario Sires Stakes action will resume at the Campbellville oval on July 13 with the first Gold Eliminations for the two-year-old pacing colts.
For complete results please go to: http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/results/data/rmohsmo.html