GLOUCESTER, ON — Two-year-old trotting colt Brazen picked up where he had left off and posted his fourth straight victory in Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series action at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Friday evening.
The gifted Balanced Image colt swept the elimination and Final of the Gold Series season opener at Woodbine Racetrack on July 12 and 19, then won his Aug. 4 elimination at Windsor Raceway and was the heavy favourite heading into the Aug. 11 Gold Final before withdrawing due to sickness.
“He wasn’t very, very sick, but it was enough that I didn’t want to race him,” said trainer Trond Smedshammer. “He didn’t take much treatment, a few days on antibiotics. He scoped pretty clean (Monday).”
Starting from Post 4 in the first of two $48,385 eliminations Brazen and regular driver Trevor Ritchie simply powered to the front and waited for a challenge that never materialized. The pair waltzed home to an easy 2:03.1 victory, reaching the wire one length ahead of first time starter Good To Be King and one and a half lengths up on reigning Gold Final champion Mill Work.
In spite of the depth of talent in the elimination, only one other youngster circled the Rideau Carleton oval without making a break in stride.
Smedshammer’s American Viking Racing Stable Inc. of Allentown, NJ owns Brazen, acquiring the full brother to $198,517 winner Village Barrister for $30,000 US at last fall’s Harrisburg Yearling Sale.
“He was a nice colt all together,” recalls Smedshammer, who captured the $1 million Hambletonian earlier this month with three-year-old trotting colt Windsong’s Legacy. “I was looking for a Balanced Image colt and he was put together nice, not too big, nice appearance, nice conformation, and cheap too.”
The second elimination went to Classic Lavec, who has been a consistent performer in the Gold Series through the first two events.
Phil Hudon fired Sam McCord out of Post 8 and led the field through early fractions of :30.1 and 1:00.3 while Darrell Coville and Classic Lavec sat comfortably behind them in third spot. Heading for the 1:31.1 three-quarters Coville revved up the Mr Lavec colt and circled around Monsieur Kan Due, who was running out of gas on the outside, then powered away from Sam McCord down the stretch to the two and a half length victory in a smart 2:01.1.
Sam McCord picked up the second-place finisher’s share and Mike Saftic and St Lads Speedy, owned and trained by Paul Barkley of Morrisburg, delivered a steady effort to land in third.
Stanley Malec of Belle River bred and owns Classic Lavec, who had a record of one second, two thirds and two fourths through five starts heading into Friday evening’s contest. The consistent youngster added $24,192 to his freshman earnings with the win, boosting them to $65,073.
In addition to the top three colts from each elimination, fourth-place finishers Adam T and Hawkesbury and one of fifth-place finishers Reception Hall and Monsieur Kan Due will return to Rideau Carleton Raceway next Friday, Aug. 27 for the third $130,000 Gold Final of the freshman campaign.