ELORA, ON — Fans taking in the Industry Day festivities at Grand River Raceway did not believe that elimination winner Creampuff Macdaddy could overcome the outside Post 8 in Monday’s Gold Final, but the two-year-old trotting colt proved them wrong with a commanding performance.

Driver Jack Moiseyev abandoned the mount on Creampuff Macdaddy in favour of Majestized, who started from the trailing Post 9, so Randy Waples picked up the catch drive aboard the Brad Maxwell trainee. In the elimination round Creampuff Macdaddy eased away from the starting gate and sprinted through the final quarter to secure the 2:01 victory, but saddled with the outside post Waples opted to use the colt’s speed to rocket out to an early lead.

On top by two lengths at the :29.4 quarter, Waples took his foot off the accelerator and allowed Creampuff Macdaddy a breather to the 1:00.3 half, but maintained enough pace through the 1:30 three-quarters to hold challenger Sparky Gypsy at bay.

Having done a great deal of work on the outside through the middle of the race, elimination winner Sparky Gypsy, owned by Bill Manes of Rockwood, trainer Christopher Beaver and his mother Johanna Beaver of Delaware, OH, began to fade around the final turn and eventually made a break in the stretch. Creampuff Macdaddy turned for home with a one and one-half length lead and cruised under the wire a one length winner in a personal best 2:00.2.

Pocket sitter Third Pat earned the second-place share of the $130,000 Gold Final purse, while Gotta Secret circled around Sparky Gypsy to finish third. Guelph resident Maxwell conditions Creampuff Macdaddy for Douglas Millard of Woodstock, who purchased the son of Ken Warkentin and Celebrity Cream for $22,000 from last fall’s Canadian Yearling Sale. The colt started his Ontario Sires Stakes career with a fourth-place effort in the Grassroots season opener at Clinton Raceway on July 8, then moved up to the Gold Series for the second event, finishing sixth in his July 16 elimination at Mohawk Racetrack. Last week’s victory was Creampuff Macdaddy’s first.

With three different Gold Final winners in the first three events of the season, Monday’s victory boosted Creampuff Macdaddy up the division standings into second, just eight points behind Murmur Hanover.

The two-year-old trotting colt Gold Final served as a prelude to the finals for Grand River Raceway’s $150,000 Battle of the Belles and $300,000 Battle of Waterloo.

In the two-year-old pacing filly contest, Macharoundtheclock and driver Jody Jamieson delivered an outstanding come from behind effort to hit the wire in a stakes record equaling 1:55.1. The win was the Mach Three daughter’s first in just her third lifetime start for trainer Dave Menary of Cheltenham, his father Larry Menary of Cheltenham, Ken Ewen of Georgetown and Denis Breton of Welland.

Raise Your Glass and Its No Secret paced into second and third in the Battle of the Belles final.

In the afternoon’s finale, Dave Menary and Denis Breton were back in the winner’s circle along with their partners Brad Gray of Dundas and Bruce Norris of Caledon East after their two-year-old pacing colt Tarpon Hanover destroyed his Battle of Waterloo competition in a track record 1:53.

Scott Zeron engineered the Badlands Hanover son’s spectacular victory, which saw Tarpon Hanover hit the wire seven lengths ahead of Mach Pride and Bad Boy Hill. Tarpon Hanover started his freshman campaign with Gold Elimination and Final victories in the season opener at Mohawk Racetrack.

Ontario’s talented two-year-olds will return to Gold Series action in the coming weeks. The trotting colts make their fourth Gold Series start on August 16 at Mohawk Racetrack, the freshman pacing colts head to Flamboro Downs on Sept. 8, and the two-year-old pacing fillies return to Grand River Raceway on Sept. 7.

Ontario Sires Stakes fans in the Elora area do not have to wait until September for their next dose of excitement however, as the two-year-old trotting fillies make their way to Grand River Raceway on August 15 for the fifth Grassroots event on their schedule.

For complete results please go to Grand River Raceway Results — August 6, 2012