LONDON, ON — Ontario’s talented two-year-old trotting fillies are heading to Western Fair Raceway on Saturday evening, where they will treat fans to a pair of $40,000 Gold Eliminations.

Reigning Gold Final champion Random Destiny will begin defence of her title from Post 3 in the second elimination, and trainer-driver Riina Rekila says the Ken Warkentin lass is in good spirits heading into the last regular season event.

“She is out with other horses in the same paddock all day,” says the Campbellville resident. “Hopefully she can stay healthy.”

Random Destiny has already had one battle with sickness this season, and Rekila would love to see her get through to the Nov. 14 Super Final without another bout.

After making an impressive debut in the mid-July season opener at Grand River Raceway, where she won her elimination and finished second by a head in the final, the filly delivered a lacklustre effort in a division of the July 26 Bud Light Stakes at Flamboro Downs. Tests following the race indicated a throat infection, so Rekila and owner Esa Lahtinen of Campbellville opted to address the illness and skip the early August Gold event at Mohawk Racetrack.

Instead, Random Destiny competed in the Aug. 13 Grassroots contest at Hiawatha Horse Park, where she recorded a second victory, and then returned to the Gold Series on Aug. 24 at Mohawk Racetrack. Second in her elimination and fourth in the Gold Final, Random Destiny then made her seventh start in a division of the Champlain Stakes at Mohawk on Sept. 7, where she made an early error and finished well back of the field in sixth.

With a classic pocket trip on Sept. 29 at Windsor Raceway, Random Destiny picked up her second Gold Elimination trophy in a personal best 1:58.1, and then came back with an impressive effort up the outside over an off track to claim a three and one-half length victory in the Oct. 6 Gold Final.

Rekila says the key to keeping the lively filly on an even keel has been maintaining her daily regimen, and nothing will change heading into Saturday’s elimination in spite of the three week break the filly has enjoyed since her Windsor win.

“We try to keep her routine the same. That’s what horses love — routine,” says the trainer. “If they know they are doing the same thing every day, they can trust you.”

Random Destiny and her peers will need a top four finish to advance to the Nov. 7 Gold Final, and Rekila says if the filly minds her manners she has enough gate speed to take advantage of Post 3.

“I think she should be okay, if she races flat,” says the native of Finland. “She has done the half-mile track before and she was good. I’ll probably leave a little bit and see what happens.”

Among the fillies that Random Destiny will face in Saturday’s tenth race is Poof Shes Gone, who makes her second Gold Series appearance after sweeping her elimination and the $617,880 final of the Breeders Crown at Woodbine Racetrack Oct. 16 and 24. The Kadabra daughter, who boasts nine wins in 11 starts against the best fillies in North America, will start from Post 6 on Saturday.

The first Gold Elimination is slated as Race 4 and features former Gold Final winners Isthatallyagot and Sooner Than Later from Posts 3 and 4.

Post time for Western Fair Raceway’s Oct. 31 program is 7:05 pm, and the two-year-old trotting fillies will parade in front of the grandstand in Races 4 and 10.

For complete entries please go to: http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/racing/entries/data/e1031lonn.dat.