WINDSOR, ON — Windsor Raceway continues an exciting two-week stretch of Ontario Sires Stakes racing on Wednesday evening with the $130,000 Gold Final for the two-year-old trotting fillies.
Last week’s Eliminations raised the excitement level in the division as Wescott and For The Luva Moni earned their first Gold Series trophies with upset victories, and division leader Independent Woman made a break and failed to advance to the Final.
While Wescott is a veteran of the Gold Series, For The Luva Moni’s victory came in her first start at the top level. However, it came as no surprise to fans who had watched the filly handily defeat her Grassroots opposition at Hanover Raceway on Aug. 21 and Clinton Raceway on Sept. 1.
Carman Hie piloted the Balanced Image lass to the one length 2:01.2 elimination win for trainer Dr. John Hayes and Ned Gvoich of Beamsville and Kim Kaplan of Worcester, MA, and the veteran reinsman hopes she can achieve her fourth straight victory from Post 2 on Wednesday.
“I thought she was nice when I qualified her. We had schooled her few times before we qualified, but in the qualifier at Mohawk (Aug. 13) I really felt she was very good,” recalls Hie. “We didn’t know if she could trot with the Gold fillies or not, but after Clinton I was pretty sure she could.”
Hie employed a textbook come-from-behind strategy in the elimination, following Starry Image up the outside and then powering down the stretch to the win, but the Beamsville resident is confident For The Luva Moni can hustle off the gate on Wednesday evening if necessary.
“I think when I ask her to leave she will,” he says. “She is a very nice mare to drive. I’m not doing anything for her, she is overcoming me.”
Hie will be paying close attention to Wescott, who will start from Post 6 for trainer David Jannone of Southern Pines, NC and Wescott LLC of Neenah, WI, and Aimees Image, who finished two and a half lengths behind him in the elimination and will start from Post 4 for trainer John Bax of Peterborough and owners Glengate Farms of Campbellville and Kesons Stable Inc. of Cambridge.
“Wescott looked very good last week and, as much as I didn’t see her, I understand Aimees Image trotted a big mile,” says Hie. “I’ll have my eyes peeled for all of them though because they are two-year-old trotting fillies and anything can happen.”
A successful outing on Wednesday will likely see For The Luva Moni head for Mohawk Racetrack on Oct. 31 for the last Gold Series, but her Grassroots victories also give her connections the option of entering the Grassroots Semifinal at Georgian Downs on Nov. 2, with an eye to qualifying for the $100,000 Grassroots Championship on Nov. 9.
For The Luva Moni and her two-year-old trotting filly peers are featured in Race 9 on Windsor Raceway’s 7:25 pm program Wednesday.
Ontario’s top three-year-old pacing colts and three-year-old trotting fillies wrap up Windsor’s two-week long Sires Stakes celebration on Sunday evening with their respective $130,000 Gold Finals.