CAMPBELLVILLE, ON — Harness racing fans who made the effort to get to Mohawk Racetrack early on Monday witnessed the fastest mile in the thirty-six year history of the Ontario Sires Stakes program.
Thwarted in their efforts to compete on Sunday night by an electrical storm, the three-year-old pacing colts lined up behind the Mohawk starting gate at 6:30 pm on Monday. There was no wagering on the race, so the fans on hand were completely focused on the 10 gifted equine athletes ready to battle for the $130,000 Gold Final title.
Starting from Posts 8 and 9, elimination winners Primary Purpose and Lyons Horace locked horns early and their high speed clash through the :26 opening quarter set the tempo for the race. The other elimination winner, Shipps Xpectancy, circled around the early combatants before the :53.2 half and maintained the humidity fuelled pace through a 1:21 three-quarters, where he handed off to reigning Gold Final champion OK Boromir.
OK Boromir led the colts around the final turn and had a one and one-quarter length lead turning for home, but his first over trip exacted its price through the stretch. Fast Pay and driver Paul MacDonell had used OK Boromir and Stonebridge Terror as their windbreaks throughout the race, and when MacDonell tipped his mount out, Fast Pay was able to reel in both colts and post a 1:49 Ontario Sires Stakes record.
OK Boromir fought the good fight, but finished one length back in second, while Stonebridge Terror was two and a half lengths back in third.
Fast Pay’s 1:49 mile shaved two-fifths of a second off the 1:49.2 recorded by the gifted Somebeachsomewhere — also driven by MacDonell — in Gold Series action over the Mohawk oval last season. The victory also stripped more than two full seconds off Fast Pay’s personal best, a 1:51.3 mile he paced at Mohawk in a May 4 overnight event.
Dave Menary trains Fast Pay for Larry Menary of Cheltenham, Denis Breton of Welland, and Phil Silvestri and Joseph Settimi of Hamilton. The partners offered up $38,000 for the Western Terror son as a yearling and got their first thrill when Fast Pay captured the Grassroots Championship as a two-year-old. The colt emerged early this spring as a heavyweight in the three-year-old pacing colt division, sweeping his Gold Elimination and the final of the June season opener at Rideau Carleton Raceway, and has gone on to post a record of five wins, two seconds and one third in 11 starts for earnings of $227,004.
The speed was not restricted to the pacing colts at Mohawk on Monday evening. The two-year-old pacing fillies also had one Gold Elimination carried over from the Sunday evening card, and Bay Girl fired up from the back field to steal a neck victory away from The Big Scoop in 1:53.4.
Sweetest Mile rounded out the top three in the $40,000 Gold Elimination, with Lily Ellie and Give The Gift also advancing to the Aug. 16 Gold Final.
Milton resident Ben Wallace trains Bay Girl for Michael, Sam and Pat Sergi of Canton, NY, and driver Mario Baillargeon engineered Monday’s victory. Through three starts the Royal Mattjesty daughter has one win, one second in Grassroots action, and one third to her credit for earnings of $28,040. The filly, whose dam Whitley Bay earned $177,059 in her racing career and has produced four $100,000-plus earners since, was a relative bargain at last fall’s Forest City Yearling Sale, going home with the Sergi’s for just $7,000.
Finally, fans were also treated to a $130,000 Gold Final by the talented two-year-old trotting fillies, who came within two-fifths of a second of setting their own Ontario Sires Stakes record.
Starting from Post 8, fan favourite Wilsonator led the field of trotting lasses through fractions of :27.2, :56.2 and 1:26.3, but could not hold off the fillies queuing behind her at the top of the stretch. Isthatallyagot delivered the sharpest finishing kick to claim a one and one-quarter length victory over Ruling Class, leaving Wilsonator to settle for third.
Anthony MacDonald piloted Isthatallyagot to the 1:56.2 triumph for trainer James MacDonald of Guelph and owner Terry Hunter of Ayr. The win was the Southwind Lustre daughter’s second of the season and her first in Gold Series action. Through four starts she boasts a record of two wins, one second and one third for earnings of $83,700, over $80,000 more than the $2,400 Hunter paid for the filly at the 2008 Fall Mixed Sale.
Ontario Sires Stakes excitement returns to Mohawk Racetrack next Sunday, Aug. 16 with the two-year-old pacing filly Gold Final. The line-up for the $130,000 final is as follows:
Post 1 Sweetest Smile
Post 2 The Big Scoop
Post 3 Precious Cammill
Post 4 Bay Girl
Post 5 Give The Gift
Post 6 Tiz To Dream
Post 7 Tymal Dalia
Post 8 Euphrosini
Post 9 Western Silk
Post 10 Lily Ellie
For complete results please go to:
http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/racing/results/data/r0810mohss.dat AND
http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/racing/results/data/r0810mohsn.dat.