GLOUCESTER, ON — Heading into Thursday evening’s Trillium event at Rideau Carleton Raceway neither Lucys Fame nor Armbro Bombay had been able to find the winner’s circle this season. Both fillies had been close, picking up cheques in most of their starts, but victory had eluded them.
Firing out of Post 5 in the first Trillium Series division, Lucys Fame was the first to break her sophomore jinx, powering around the Rideau Carleton oval in 1:55.4. Darrell Coville piloted the Apaches Fame daughter to the gate-to-wire victory on behalf of trainer Carl Jamieson of Princeton and his partners Glengate Farms of Campbellville and Karl Ungerman of Toronto.
Cohenikova and Putnam Fantasy picked up the second and third-place shares of the $35,607 purse, while favourite Tosexyforthedriver made a pair of breaks that took her out of contention.
The first win in eight tries for Lucys Fame, the victory is in addition to the one second and three thirds the filly has accumulated this season and boosted her lifetime earnings to $104,066.
Four races later Armbro Bombay achieved her first win in four starts with a nose victory over fan favourite Casper.
The Western Hanover daughter, eligible to the Trillium Series due to her Ontario ownership, and driver Sandy Jones sat well off the pace as Rafaella Seelster reeled off fractions of :28, :57 and 1:25.3. Jones sent Armbro Bombay up the outside behind Casper around the final turn and simply outsprinted the favourite to score the 1:56.2 triumph.
Wipethatsmerkoff, trained by Brenda Spence of Greely and owned by breeders C M T Farms of Arnprior, rounded out the top three in the seventh race.
Bob McIntosh trains Armbro Bombay for breeders Armstrong Bros. of Inglewood. The filly also has a third-place finish in Pennsylvania Sires Stakes action to her credit this year.
The Ontario-sired three-year-old pacing fillies now head to Flamboro Downs for Gold Series action July 9 and 16 or to Hanover Raceway on July 17 for Grassroots action. Ontario Sires Stakes excitement returns to Rideau Carleton Raceway next Thursday, July 8 with Gold Eliminations for the lightning fast three-year-old pacing colts.