INNISFIL, ON — When Brad Forward heads to Georgian Downs on Saturday, July 14 for the Innisfil oval’s X-treme Horsepower program, the reinsman will have his fingers firmly crossed.

Forward is looking for luck on two fronts. First, that he chose the right horse for the three-year-old pacing colt Gold Final after winning two eliminations, and second, that he chooses the right strategy in the multi-distance races on the remainder of the program.

“I took Sergei Seelster, but it was a tough decision to make,” says Forward of his Gold Final decision. “Wholly Louy is a really nice horse too, and I’ve had good luck with both horses.”

Forward will pilot Sergei Seelster from Post 3 in Saturday’s third race, leaving Wholly Louy to start from Post 7 with Georgian Downs regular Dan Clements in the race bike. Although Sergei Seelster drew the better post, Forward says his decision was influenced more by each horse’s ability, rather than the draw.

“Sergei Seelster has got the bigger heart, and he can race either way. I’m afraid Wholly Louy might be a one way horse,” explains the Newfoundland native. “I really don’t think post will matter to Wholly Louy. I think for sure he’s going to be the horse on the front end. He’s very fast off the gate.”

While he expects to see Wholly Louy and Clements head for the front, Forward says he would love to craft the same sort of trip for Sergei Seelster that earned the Rustler Hanover son his last three victories, including the June 29 Gold Final title at Western Fair Raceway.

“The last couple starts, I’ve been getting a second or third over trip, and when he gets in the lane, he turns another gear this horse,” explains the reinsman. “So I’d like to be second or third over, like everybody else.

“He’s got the right post, and he does have gate speed, so we can put ourselves in that position,” he adds.

Both colts are trained by Bill Elliott, with Sergei Seelster owned by Gary Smith of Burlington and Lloyd Nicholson of Campbellville and Wholly Louy owned by breeder Robert Hamather of Exeter. The talented young pacers have helped propel Forward to his current number three status in the Ontario Sires Stakes driver’s standings, and the horseman is hoping to stay amongst the leaders over the next five months.

“I was always afraid to chase the stakes, afraid to give up what I already had, but I’ve been listening to Mark (MacDonald) and Jody (Jamieson) quite a bit in the last year and a half and they, especially Mark, have never steered me wrong, so I took their advice to stick to the stakes. That’s what I’m going to focus on this year,” he explains. “It gives you the opportunity to meet some of these people and gives them a chance to use you.”

Some of those trainers will put Forward’s skills to use in the other 10 events on Georgian Downs’ X-treme Horsepower program Saturday, which features races at distances other than the standard mile, and the driver admits that he will be consulting a variety of friends and mentors for tactical advice.

“I’m kind of lost on that. I’m looking under the harness dictionary to see if there’s a strategy,” he jokes. “Surely my style — I like to get out front early — but I’m sure my style won’t be the main focus in a mile and three-eighths or two mile race.”

In spite of his uncertainty around strategy, Forward is looking forward to the event, and expects that many of his equine partners will also enjoy the variety of a longer or shorter distance.

“How many times have you driven a horse and said, �I wish I could race this horse a mile and a half?’ Well, now’s your chance,” he says. “I think it’s great to change things up, and I think it will create a different atmosphere. I think you’ll see a lot of people come out.”

Post time for Georgian Downs’ X-treme Horsepower program is 5 pm on Saturday, and the three-year-old pacing colt Gold Final will be one of just two races held at the traditional mile distance. The other is a match race between four-year-old pacing fillies — and former Gold Series stars — Moving Pictures and To Helen Back. The match race is scheduled as Race 3 and the Gold Final contenders will roll up behind the starting gate in Race 7.

For complete entries please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/entries/data/egeodfsa.html#N7