WINDSOR, ON — When the three-year-old pacing colts line up behind Windsor Raceway’s starting gate on Sunday evening, Dr. Ian Moore expects Astronomical will have a battle on his hands to secure a second straight Gold Final title.

“He drew not so good there on Sunday. It will be interesting,” notes Moore. “A couple of the good ones, like Noble Jake, didn’t make it, but I still think that on any given night whoever gets the draw and gets the trip could pop up and win it.”

Astronomical will start from Post 7 in the $130,000 battle, with former Windsor regular Mark MacDonald back in the race bike for the second straight week. The pair posted a four and one-quarter length victory in last week’s elimination round, stopping the clock at 1:51.4.

Last Sunday’s win was the Astreos son’s sixth in an ultra consistent season that has seen him finish out of the money on only two occasions through 18 starts. With summer’s heart and humidity largely behind us, Moore expects the pacer to be even more consistent in the weeks ahead.

“He seems to be getting stronger as the year goes on and more consistent maybe as well,” says Moore, who is currently dividing his time between his Charlottetown, PEI veterinary practice and a temporary home in Campbellville, ON. “And since the humidity has gone and there is less smog in the air he’s having an easier time with his lungs. That’s probably helping.”

Astronomical came into last week’s elimination off an intense schedule that saw him race four times in 14 days. He won the Aug. 15 Gold Final at Mohawk Racetrack, shipped to Flamboro Downs six days later for two heats in the Confederation Cup — a second in his elimination and sixth off a tough trip in the Final — and made the journey to Windsor for the Aug. 28 Gold Elimination.

“One thing about him, he’s been roughed up a couple or three times, he was parked in the Sarnia (Gold) Final and parked in the Confederation Cup Final, and he’s not been deterred by it,” says Moore, who shares ownership on the winner of $359,455 with William Shearer of Bedford, NS and R G McGroup Ltd. of Bathurst, NB.

“I haven’t done much with him lately. We turn him out for three days a week and jog him, and we’ve been racing him off that,” adds the horseman. “I vary his schedule from week to week, depending on what’s coming up.”

With four Gold events in the books, the three-year-old pacing colts are looking at a seven week gap before their next Ontario Sires Stakes contest so Astronomical and his peers will get some well earned rest and relaxation through the months of September and October. Until then the field of nine talented pacers are focused on one thing, acquiring a sizeable share of the $130,000 Gold Final purse at Windsor on Sunday.

Windsor Raceway’s first race fires up behind the starting gate at 7:15 pm on Sunday and the three-year-old pacing colts will provide the sparks in Race 10.

For a complete list of entries please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/entries/data/ewrfsu.html