ELMIRA — Elmira Raceway fans will be treated to one of the most exciting divisions in the Ontario Sires Stakes on Friday evening when the three-year-old pacing fillies bring their high speed act to the half-mile oval.
Only 16 fillies will head to Elmira to challenge last season’s top money winner Northern Harmony, Super Final winner Ascending and Grassroots Champion Wendys Rocket in a pair of Gold Series Eliminations.
“I thought there would be more of them,” says Cambridge’s Pat Hunt, who will harness Thelma in the first division against Northern Harmony.
“I don’t think Thelma has scared anybody off yet so you can’t blame it on her,” he adds with a chuckle.
Thelma earned her shot at the top fillies with a consistent early season that saw her log two seconds and three thirds in seven starts for Hunt and owners Thomas and Elizabeth Rankin of St. Catharines.
“We thought if we were going to try the Gold any time, we’d try the first one,” explains Hunt. “We can’t get a win with her, she’s a little light at the wire, but if you look at the fillies that have beat her, they have all been nice fillies. There hasn’t been a cheap one beat her yet.”
The Village Jiffy daughter will strike off from Post 3 in the third race with Dave Boughton in the race bike and although she has yet to race over a half-mile oval, Hunt says she trains well over his half-mile training track and should benefit from the inside post.
“The half won’t help her, but it won’t hurt her either. She’s a medium-sized filly and she’s good gaited,” he says. “The post position is the most important thing on a half-mile track.”
Among Thelma’s primary competition for one of the top four spots is last year’s top two-year-old pacing filly Northern Harmony, who will start from Post 6. The Run The Table filly is trained by Bill Robinson for Gerrie Tucker of Montreal, QC, Sampson Street Stables of Old Forge, PA, Don Bray of Newcastle and Angelo Dinardo of Etobicoke and will be driven by Jason Gale.
The winner of $498,478 heads into Friday’s contest from a solid qualifier at Mohawk Racetrack on May 2 and a start against older mares on May 9 where she finished off the board, but paced her own mile in a sharp 1:54.2.
Northern Harmony’s stablemate Ascending is one of the headliners in the second elimination and will benefit from Post 1 in her bid for a spot in the May 30 Gold Final. Gerrie Tucker owns the Camluck filly, who prepped for her debut with a 1:57.4 win over an off track at Mohawk on May 2.
Last year’s Grassroots champion Wendy’s Rocket will also go postward in the eighth race, starting from Post 5 with trainer-driver William “Bud” Fritz in the race bike for owners Bloomingwood Farms Ltd. of Harriston. Wendy’s Rocket has a pair of solid efforts over Georgian Downs to her credit as she tackles the Gold Series fillies for the third time in her career.
Elmira Raceway’s Friday evening program goes postward at 6:55 pm and the talented sophomore pacing fillies will kick off their Gold Series season in Races 3 and 8. The top four finishers from each elimination will return to Elmira on Friday, May 30 for their first $130,00 Gold Final.