WINDSOR, ON — Brazen extended his win streak to three with a solid front end effort in Gold Elimination action at Windsor Raceway on Wednesday evening.
The Balanced Image son and driver Trevor Ritchie took control of the race just past the quarter mile marker and sailed home to an effortless 2:01 victory. Brazen hit the wire one and a half lengths ahead of Dominant Kemp, who fought off a hard charging Classic Lavec, owned by Stanley Malec of Belle River.
Brazen is trained by Trond Smedshammer for American Viking Racing Stable Inc. of Allentown, NJ and the reigning Gold Final champion has already banked $106,320 in just three starts. The full brother to $198,517 winner Village Barrister was a $30,000 US bargain at last fall’s Harrisburg Yearling Sale.
Windsor fans sent Brazen off as their top choice from Post 3 and the colt returned $3.50 to win, $2.50 to place and $2.30 to show. Second choice Dominant Kemp returned $2.40 and $2.10, while local favourite Classic Lavec paid $2.10 to show. The exactor and triactor returned $8.00 and $33.00.
Victory Hall clocked the fastest mile of the two $48,885 eliminations in Race 11, stopping the Windsor teletimer at 1:59.1. Mike Saftic piloted the Angus Hall son to the win, which saw him take command immediately and establish a four length margin with an impressive :27.2 opening quarter. After slowing things down considerably through a :58.3 half and 1:29.1 three-quarters, the colt stepped up the pace through the last quarter and hit the wire six lengths in front of runner-up Mill Work and double that ahead of third-place finisher Sam McCord.
Bill Budd trains Victory Hall for C And I Siegel Racing Stable of Staten Island, NY who paid $82,000 for the colt at last fall’s Canadian Classic Yearling Sale. Wednesday’s outing was the first start for Victory Hall, whose debut has been highly anticipated since he delivered a 1:57.3 effort in a July 16 qualifier at Mohawk Racetrack. The July 16 qualifier was the first steady mile from the colt and heralded the addition of trotting hopples to his equipment bag.
As a result of the July 16 qualifier, and a more moderate one that followed on July 27, fans selected Victory Hall as their first choice and earned $3.50, $3.50 and $3.00 on each two dollar win, place and show wager. Longshot Mill Work returned $16.20 and $7.50 while second choice Sam McCord paid $2.50 to show. The exactor was worth $41.20 and the triactor $183.70.
The top three colts from each elimination, plus fourth-place finishers Go Power and Hudd and one of the fifth-place finishers Monsieur Kan Due or Kenny Boy, will return to the Windsor oval next Wednesday, Aug. 11 for their second $130,000 Gold Final.