GLOUCESTER, ON — Arch Madness had five wins on his card heading into Friday night’s $130,000 Gold Final at Rideau Carleton Raceway, but the three-year-old trotter had never seen the inside of an Ontario Sires Stakes winner’s circle.

That all changed when the gelding and driver Tomas Dalborg delivered an outstanding six and a half length triumph in a track record 1:55.2.

Starting from the trailing Post 9, Dalborg followed fan favourite Tonight AAS off the starting gate and was sitting on the rail in sixth when Claudius Augustus reached the opening quarter in :27.2. As elimination winner Claudius Augustus continued to lead the field through a :56.4 half and 1:26 three-quarters, Dalborg sent Arch Madness up the outside on the heels of Tonight AAS.

Three lengths behind the leader as the field swung into the final turn, Arch Madness responded to Dalborg’s urging and stormed to the front. Turning for home the Balanced Image son was three lengths ahead of the field and he extended the margin with every step down the stretch.

Pacesetter Claudius Augustus hung on for second, while the other elimination winner, Smarty Jims, finished seven and one-quarter lengths back in third.

Dalborg and Arch Madness hit the wire two-fifths of a second faster than Claudius Augustus did in last week’s Gold Elimination, setting a new speed record for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings over the five-eighths mile oval.

Trond Smedshammer trains Arch Madness for Marc Goldberg of Woodmere, NY and Barry Goldstein’s Willow Pond LLC of Hewlett, NY. The partners also bred the gelding, who now boasts a record of six wins, three seconds, and one third in 14 starts, for earnings of $218,047.

Prior to Friday’s triumph the gelding had logged a ninth in the Gold Series season opener, and a second in last week’s Gold Elimination, for a total of 25 points. His Gold Final victory added 50 points to his tally and boosted him from eighteenth to seventh in the race for one of 10 berths in the $300,000 Super Final at Woodbine Racetrack on Nov. 10.

The three-year-old trotting colts have just one Gold Series left in their career — with eliminations going postward on Oct. 19 at Woodbine — and one last opportunity to earn their way into the lucrative post season.

Rideau Carleton Raceway fans get another dose of Gold Series excitement this Sunday, Sept. 28, when the Ottawa oval plays host to a pair of Gold Eliminations for the two-year-old pacing fillies and a $130,000 Gold Final for the two-year-old pacing colts. Post time for Sunday’s outstanding program is 6:30 pm.

For complete results please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/results/data/rridcffr.html#N8