TORONTO, ON — The size of the crowd standing by the rail at Woodbine Racetrack on Saturday evening will swell by more than 200 people when the two-year-old pacing colts make their way onto the racing surface for their $300,000 Super Final.
“Denis Breton has 50 people coming from Welland; Phil Silvestri, it’s his daughter’s birthday, and he has 60-plus people coming; and my mom and dad will have a big crew,” explains trainer David Menary, who will harness Haul Away in the freshman pacing colt final. “We’re excited about it.”
Larry Menary of Cheltenham, Denis Breton of Welland, Phil Silvestri of Hamilton and Joseph Settimi of Hamilton share ownership on two-time Gold Final winner Haul Away, who makes his bid for the division crown from Post 8 in the sixth race. The Modern Art gelding heads into the Super Final off a five week break caused by sickness, but Menary says the youngster schooled well on Monday and seems to have bounced back to full health.
“We schooled him Monday (Nov. 9) morning at Mohawk and he went the fastest mile of the day, of the qualifiers and schoolers,” notes the horseman. “I didn’t want to go too fast with him, just tighten him up and have him ready for Saturday.”
Haul Away fell ill following his Oct. 10 Gold Final win at Woodbine Racetrack, and Menary was hoping he would be healthy enough to compete in the regular season finale at Western Fair Raceway, but when the gelding did not bounce back as quickly as expected Menary opted to scratch him from the Oct. 30 elimination.
“He was almost okay to go to London, but he’s too nice a horse to risk it,” says the Cheltenham resident. “I didn’t want to race him at ninety per cent.”
Regular reinsman Jody Jamieson will pilot Haul Away in his fifth Gold Series start. The pair face a talent laden field that includes the London Gold Final winner Keystone Raptor from Post 6 and division point leader Grin For Money from Post 10.
Both Keystone Raptor and Grin For Money hail from the John Kopas stable, and their presence in the race will also help to fill the tarmac near the finish line. Grin For Money is owned by the 10 member Standardbred Breeders of Ontario Association New Owner Group, the Grin For Money Stable of London, and there is at least one bus load of the colt’s fans heading to Woodbine Saturday.
In spite of his outside post position, the group members will be hoping to see an improved performance from the Grinfromeartoear son and driver Sylvain Filion, who finished seventh at Western Fair on Nov. 7.
“I look for him to be better this week,” says trainer Kopas. “We scoped him afterwards, and allergy season isn’t over yet.
“If he had been himself last week, even with the outside post, he’d have been right there,” adds the Milton resident. “He is such a tremendous talent when he’s healthy, and unfortunately for everyone, he wasn’t the other night.”
While Grin For Money did not deliver to his potential in the Nov. 7 Gold Final, stablemate Keystone Raptor did. The Astreos son got a flawless steer from driver Jack Moiseyev and delivered a half length victory in 1:55.4.
“He’s a great big, growthy colt, who has just really come into his own the last three or four weeks. I wasn’t surprised at all the other night, with the trip he got, that he won,” says the horseman, who shares ownership of Keystone Raptor with John Fielding of Toronto, Clay Horner of Toronto and High Stakes Inc. of Moffat. “He is peaking at just about the right time.”
Both Menary and Kopas also have heavyweight contenders in the sophomore pacing colt division. Menary sends division point leader and three-time Gold Final winner Fast Pay into the $300,000 fray from Post 8, while Kopas harnesses Shipps Xpectancy from Post 4.
Shipps Xpectancy heads into the Super Final battle off an impressive 1:51.1 victory at Woodbine on Nov. 7 that saw him sprint home in :26.1 to best a number of his Ontario-sired sophomore pacing colt peers. In seven starts since mid-September, the Mach Three gelding has three wins, two seconds and one third to his credit.
“He’s been racing really well — his last three starts especially,” says Kopas, who trains the winner of $316,793 for Harold G. Shipp Stable of Mississauga. “Keith Oliver said last night, he can’t believe the kick that horse has got at the end of a mile.”
Among the colts Shipps Xpectancy bested on Nov. 7 was Fast Pay, who finished sixth, his third straight out of the money result. However, Menary was satisfied with the Western Terror son’s effort and thinks he is ready to rumble on Saturday.
“He raced a lot better his last start,” says Menary. “There are not very many times that I’m happy to be sixth, but the two starts before that he didn’t finish up as well as he should.”
Menary’s father, Breton, Silvestri and Settimi also own Fast Pay, who has been outstanding this season. In 21 starts the 2008 freshman pacing colt Grassroots champion has posted seven wins, three seconds and one third for $365,600 in earnings, and set an all-time Ontario Sires Stakes record with his 1:49 victory in Gold Final action at Mohawk Racetrack on Aug. 10.
“Fast Pay was right there at the beginning of the year, and he’s still there,” says Menary. “Win, lose or draw — if they get a little money, or no money — they’ve both had a really good year.”
A total of $2.4 million will go home with the province’s top trotters and pacers on Saturday evening, as they battle their way around the Woodbine Racetrack oval in eight Super Final events. The Toronto oval’s first race goes in behind the starting gate at 7:30 pm and the Super Final events will have supporters on their feet from Race 3 through Race 10.
For complete entries please go to: http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/racing/entries/data/e1114wdbsn.dat.