GLOUCESTER, ON — Rideau Carleton Raceway welcomes back the two-year-old pacing colts for their $130,000 Gold Final on Thursday evening, including three youngsters from the Bill Budd stable.
Budd, who trained Ontario Sires Stakes star Sir Luck to a $1 million freshman season in 2002, will harness elimination winner Duke Of Luck, Gerrys Rocket and Groovie Day and the Carlisle resident says at this stage in the season Duke Of Luck is the best of the bunch.
“I think he’s the best one. He is a good sized colt too, a big colt,” says the veteran horseman. “He trained down real good at Mohawk (Racetrack) all winter.”
Duke Of Luck posted the fastest win of the three eliminations, stopping Rideau Carleton’s teletimer at 1:56.2 last Thursday. The Camluck son, acquired by C and I Siegel Racing Stable Ltd and Herbert Siegel of Brooklyn, NY for $57,000 US at the Harrisburg Yearling Sale, will attempt to make it two in a row from Post 2 in the eighth race on Thursday.
Budd expects Duke Of Luck and driver Mike Saftic to follow the come-from-behind strategy that worked for them in the elimination round, while stablemate Gerrys Rocket and Darrell Coville go looking for a spot at the front of the nine horse field.
“Gerrys Rocket will go to the front I think. He’s a high speed colt,” says Budd. “I’d like to race him in a hole this week, but we’ll see. He just got tired last week — he cut some pretty good fractions — that’s why I’d like to see him covered up this week.”
After carving fractions of :29, :59.2 and 1:27.3, Gerrys Rocket faded through the stretch and finished third behind 1:56.4 winner Sauble Jackson and Downhill Skier. C and I Racing Stable Ltd. also own the Pacific Rocket son, who was a $31,000 US purchase at last fall’s New Jersey Classic Yearling Sale.
Groovie Day, the final member of Budd’s two-year-old dream team will start from Post 8 on Thursday and the conditioner expects another solid performance from the sibling of $385,649 winner Our Commitment, $125,850 winner Court A Card and $86,728 winner Gothic Boy.
“He’s a full-brother to Gothic Boy,” says Budd. “He’s a little bigger colt than Gothic Boy, but he’s still a stocky little fella. I think he’ll be great on a half-mile.”
Cliff Siegel acquired Groovie Day from the Forest City Yearling Sale for $22,000 and the Gothic Dream son returned one-quarter of that with his third-place finish behind elimination winner Caras Allamerican and Northern Regent in the slowest elimination (1:58.3) last week.
Caras Allamerican will start from Post 3 on Thursday, while Sauble Jackson gets Post 7.
Rideau Carleton Raceway kicks off its exciting Thursday evening program at 6:30 pm with the two-year-old pacing colts vying for the Gold Final title in Race 8.