CAMPBELLVILLE, ON — Zorgwijk Kingpin scored his first lifetime victory at Mohawk Racetrack on Sunday evening, delivering an impressive 1:57.1 effort to earn the victor’s spoils in the last of three $40,000 Gold Eliminations.

With regular reinsman Jason Brewer in the race bike, two-year-old trotter Zorgwijk Kingpin eased away from Post 5 as Quantum Antonio sprinted out to a :27.4 opening quarter. Tucked in behind Sombrero Hall around the first turn, Zorgwijk Kingpin assumed command of the outer flow before the :57.4 half and led the parade of contenders steadily forward.

A neck behind the pacesetter by the 1:28 three-quarters, Zorgwijk Kingpin was comfortably in command before the stretch and cruised home a one and three-quarter length victor in 1:57.1. Reach Higher closed hard to finish second, with Sombrero Hall six and three-quarter lengths back in third. Fourth-place finisher High Jingo also advanced to next weekend’s $130,000 Gold Final.

Ingersoll resident Ronnie MacLean trains Zorgwijk Kingpin for his partners Murray Neilson, Scot Wood and Joseph Serratore of London. The group acquired the chestnut son of Southwind Lustre at last fall’s Forest City Yearling Sale for a mere $3,700.

MacLean and Brewer qualified the youngster at Flamboro Downs on July 31 and then entered him in the Aug. 9 Gold Eliminations at Flamboro, where he finished fourth behind eventual Gold Final winner Pointe To Pointe. On Aug. 17 the trotter prepped for Sunday’s contest with an overnight event at Mohawk where he delivered an impressive come from behind effort to finish second in the 1:57.2 mile.

Zorgwijk Kingpin will try to earn his name from Post 8 in next weekend’s Gold Final.

Milton resident Randy Waples piloted Text Me to a 1:58.1 victory in the first Gold Elimination on Sunday, employing a come from behind strategy similar to Brewer’s. Starting from Post 1, the colt coasted away from the starting gate and then advanced up the outside to the two and one quarter length victory over Arriba Amigo and reigning Gold Final champ Pointe To Pointe.

Bob McIntosh bred and owns the Kadabra son in partnership with C S X Stables of Liberty Center, OH and Dave Boyle of Bowmanville. Through six starts Text Me has logged a runner-up finish in a July 21 Grassroots division at Georgian Downs and in his Aug. 9 Gold Elimination at Flamboro, and finished third in the Aug. 16 Gold Final. Text Me will take aim on a second provincial victory from Post 7 in the Aug. 30 Gold Final.

The other elimination saw Grumpy Jake put a smile his owner’s face with a 1:581 victory. Moffat resident Jack Moiseyev engineered the win, another come from behind performance that saw the Striking Sahbra son sprint home a one and one-quarter length victor over War King Ton and Talented Jon.

Owned by Haryott Stables Inc. of Etobicoke and trained by Campbellville resident Michael Guitard, Grumpy Jake was also making his first appearance in the winner’s circle. In his first two starts the gelding finished fourth in the July 16 Gold Series season opener at Mohawk and then made an early break and finished ninth in the Aug. 6 leg of the Bridger Series. Grumpy Jake, a $30,000 yearling at last fall’s Forest City Sale, will try to make it two in a row from Post 3 next week.

The complete line up for the Sunday, Aug. 30 Gold Final is as follows:

Post 1 Arriba Amigo

Post 2 War King Ton

Post 3 Grumpy Jake

Post 4 Pointe To Pointe

Post 5 Reach Higher

Post 6 Talented Jon

Post 7 Text Me

Post 8 Zorgwijk Kingpin

Post 9 High Jingo

Post 10 Sombrero Hall

For complete results please go to: http://standardbredcanada.ca/racing/results/data/r0823mohsn.dat.