LONDON, ON — Sometimes virtue is rewarded, but at Western Fair Raceway on Friday night, Mark MacDonald’s integrity cost him the lion’s share of $130,000.

The Cambridge resident piloted the winners of both three-year-old pacing filly Gold Eliminations last weekend, and chose Arts Star as his mount for Friday’s lucrative final based on a commitment he had made to her owners well before the start of the Ontario Sires Stakes season. As a result, trainer Tracy Brainard went shopping for a driver for Not Enough, settling on Canada’s World Driving Championship representative Brad Forward.

When the fillies lined up behind the starting gate at the London oval on Friday night, MacDonald and Arts Star were at Post 6, Forward and Not Enough were at Post 8, and the fan favourite St Lads Popcorn and driver Jason Brewer were at Post 5. As the starting car roared away from the field of eight, MacDonald opted to use Arts Star’s high speed to take control of the race and the pair reached the opening quarter in :27.2.

Brewer and St Lads Popcorn were not content to let the elimination winners have all the fun up front, and began an assault from the outside heading for the :56.3 half. By the 1:26.1 three-quarters only a neck separated the duelling pair, with neither filly willing to give an inch. Forward had tucked Not Enough in behind St Lads Popcorn when she made her move to the outside, and when he noticed the rain-soaked track begin to exact its toll on the pacesetters he tipped Not Enough out three-wide.

By the top of the stretch Not Enough had established a two length lead, and sprinting to the wire the Grinfromeartoear daughter increased it to five and a half lengths, stopping the Western Fair teletimer at 1:55.3.

Windsong Filou, owned by trainer Carl Jamieson of Princeton, Lobro Stables of London, Thomas Kyron of Toronto and Dr. Michael Wilson of Rockwood, and Northern Duchess, owned by Karen Carroll of Shedden, were able to shake loose from the field and lay claim to second and third-place honours. Their front end battle over a track rated two seconds slower than normal left St Lads Popcorn in fourth and Arts Star in sixth.

The win elevated Not Enough’s sophomore record to a flawless three wins in three starts and boosted her lifetime bank roll to $138,200. Bulletproof Enterprises of Boca Raton, FL own the homebred filly, whose mother is a half-sister to $1 million winner Cammibest.

Although Forward had not driven the filly in any of her sophomore appearances, the Woodstock resident did engineer her only Ontario Sires Stakes win as a two-year-old, in a Grassroots event at Flamboro Downs in late September. Not Enough will have an opportunity to defend her Gold Final title at Georgian Downs on July 4.

Forward came within inches of cashing another big cheque on Friday, finishing second by a quarter length in the rich Molson Pace Final with Lucky Man. Former Gold Final winner Stormaway captured the 1:54.1 victory for trainer-driver Dan Megens of Hamilton and his partners Janice Van Nest of Hamilton and Peter Caetano of Ancaster. Mark MacDonald settled for third with Clowns Smile.

Ontario Sires Stakes excitement returns to Western Fair Raceway on Friday, June 12 when the three-year-old trotting colts make their first Grassroots appearance of the season.

For complete results please go to: http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/racing/results/data/r0529lonn.dat.