DUNDAS, ON — When Bill Budd heads to Flamboro Downs on Friday evening the Carlisle resident will once again require a two-horse trailer. Both Famous Seelster and Village Blitz qualified for Friday’s $130,000 Gold Final — Famous Seelster capturing his elimination with an impressive 11 length romp in an Ontario Sires Stakes record equalling 1:52.1 and Village Blitz delivering a steady third-place performance in a 1:53.3 mile.
Both colts are in fighting trim heading into Friday’s contest and Budd says the low maintenance program he is following with Famous Seelster seems to be keeping the Rustler Hanover son happy and healthy.
“He seems okay, touch wood. We just jog him and leave him alone and he seems to take care of himself,” says the veteran conditioner. “He’s a very fast horse.
“I might have the wrong one in the Meadowlands Pace,” adds Budd with a chuckle.
The trainer’s top three-year-olds, Boulder Creek and Sir Luck, travelled to New Jersey for last weekend’s Meadowlands Pace eliminations and Boulder Creek captured his division with an impressive 1:51 effort that will place him among the favourites for Saturday’s $1 million Final.
While his stablemate is chasing North American glory, Famous Seelster will attempt to establish himself as the dominant force in Ontario from Post 1 in Flamboro’s ninth race, and Budd hopes driver Mike Saftic can engineer a trip similar to the one that landed the colt in the winner’s circle after the elimination.
“He gets a little steppy so you have to watch him,” says Budd. “He’s like a tractor trailer truck, once you get him started up you’ve got to keep changing gears, so you’re better to get out three-wide than trying to get up the passing lane or something.”
While Famous Seelster will be easing off the gate and making a late move on the leaders, Budd expects Village Blitz and driver Phil Hudon to be accelerating out of Post 4 and looking for a trip right behind the pacesetter.
“I think Phil will let him leave out and then get him covered up and hope for a cheque,” says the trainer. “He’s one notch lower, but if he gets tagging along on a helmet he’ll get a piece of it.”
Budd also speculates that the winner of Friday’s $130,000 skirmish will not have to match Famous Seelster’s OSS record time due to the absence of three of the top two finishers from the elimination round.
Elimination winner Tommys Luck and his stablemate Stonebridge Premio, who finished second to Famous Seelster, were not entered in the Gold Final, nor was Rusty Pulse, who finished second to Tommys Luck. Their absence allowed fourth-place finishers Make it Brief and Dreamfair Titan and fifth-place finisher Twin B Dynamic a spot on the gate.
Among the other colts that Budd will be keeping an eye on in Flamboro’s ninth race is elimination winner HBFS Storm from Post 9, one of three colts hailing from the Bill Robinson stable.
C. And I. Siegel Racing Stable Ltd. of Brooklyn, NY owns Village Blitz and shares ownership on Famous Seelster, a $100,000 acquisition from the Spring Mixed Sale, with John Fodera of Staten Island, NY. If Famous Seelster can extend his win streak to four races on Friday night the partners could realize a profit on their investment just four weeks after writing the initial cheque.
The colt and his talented three-year-old pacing colt peers star in the ninth race on Flamboro Downs’ Thursday afternoon program, with the first race getting under way at 2:45 pm.