CAMPBELLVILLE, ON — Three-year-old trotting colt rivals Prestidigitator and Knows Nothing lined up beside each other at the start of Saturday night’s $130,000 Gold Final and less than two minutes later they thundered across the Mohawk Racetrack finish line in the same formation.
Cold Certified was quickest away, firing out from Post 1 to a :13 opening eighth and carrying on to a :27.1 quarter. Mikey Hanover and Amigo Ranger dropped in behind the leader, with Prestidigitator and heavy favourite Knows Nothing sitting fourth and fifth through the early stages of the mile.
Heading for the half driver Sylvain Filion sent Prestidigitator up the outside and the Kadabra son had edged by Cold Certified by the time the teletimer flashed up the :55.2 interval. With his rival ensconced on the front end, driver Jody Jamieson decided it was time to roll Knows Nothing into the outer lane and the fan favourite had caught up with Prestidigitator by the time the colts reached the 1:24.4 three-quarters.
Neck and neck turning for home Knows Nothing and Prestidigitator engaged in an epic battle all the way down the Mohawk stretch, leaving the rest of the field in their wake, but Prestidigitator refused to give up and delivered Knows Nothing his third lifetime loss in a track record equaling 1:52.2.
The top two hit the wire separated by a head, with the remainder of the field seven-plus lengths behind. Mikey Hanover edged out Amigo Ranger to be third, with Cold Certified completing the top five.
The tough-minded performance by Prestidigitator was the colt’s second Gold Final title of the season. He and Filion also posted a victory in the July 7 Gold Final at Georgian Downs. Through nine starts the pair has recorded four wins, one second, and two thirds for earnings of $205,484.
Milton resident Filion pilots Prestidigitator for trainer Dustin Jones and owner Ecurie Synergie of Montreal, QC. A $120,000 purchase out of the 2010 Harrisburg Yearling Sale, Prestidigitator has returned a total of $526,156 in two seasons. At two the son of Kadabra and $272,466 winner Shesa Priority posted four wins, including the Ontario Sires Stakes season ending Super Final.
Like favourite Knows Nothing, Prestidigitator took time out of this year’s Gold Series campaign to compete in the historic Hambletonion at The Meadowlands in New Jersey. After a third-place result in his July 28 elimination the colt finished eighth in the Aug. 4 final but was placed ahead to seventh.
Prestidigitator and Filion will begin defence of their second Gold Final title on Oct. 1 at Woodbine Racetrack.
Ontario Sires Stakes action continues at Mohawk Racetrack on Monday with a Grassroots-Gold Final combo card. Tucked in between seven $24,000 Grassroots divisions for the three-year-old pacing colts, the three-year-old pacing fillies will battle in their third $130,000 Gold Final. Post time for Monday’s program is 7:10 pm.
For complete results please go to Mohawk Racetrack Results — August 25, 2012