CAMPBELLVILLE, ON — Ontario Sires Stakes excitement roars back to Mohawk Racetrack this week as the Campbellville oval prepares to host Gold Series Eliminations on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening. The two-year-old trotting colts kick off the jam-packed schedule with a pair of Eliminations on Thursday night and all the early season stars have returned to the provincial orbit after a month long break in Sires Stakes action.
With three Gold Series’ in the books Meadowview Sunny has a commanding lead atop the freshman trotting colt standings. The Classic Adam son has been defeated just once in his six-race career, finishing second by a nose in the Aug. 26 Gold Final, and has accumulated 275 points in the process. Paul Shakes of Stayner trains Meadowview Sunny for owner-breeder Charles Reid of Orono and veteran reinsman Doug Brown will send the colt after win number six from Post 8 in the second race Thursday.
While Shakes and Reid opted to rest their star rather than compete against the American-breds in Grand Circuit action at Mohawk this month, many of their competitors logged starts in the Champlain and Campbellville Stakes. Among the colts who squared off against North America’s best was Kingdom, who is expected to challenge Meadowview Sunny from Post 3.
Rick Zeron trains and drives the King Conch son, who has one win, two seconds and one third on his resume in four Gold Series starts and sits in second spot in the Super Final standings with 112 points. Kingdom heads into Thursday’s contest off an unplanned vacation after missing the Campbellville Stakes Consolation due to sickness, but Zeron says the young trotter is in top form for the $47,313 event.
“I didn’t want to take the chance of racing him (in the Consolation) and hurting him. We could have raced him but I said, “You know what, let’s just put this one away, we’ll move forward and get our colt back 110 per cent,”” explains Zeron. “We trained him the other day and he trained stunning. He absolutely felt great, back to himself.”
The Oakville resident, who shares ownership on Kingdom with The Camel Club Stable of Hamilton and Gestion Charest Ltee. of Montreal, QC, was pleased to see Meadowview Sunny draw to his right and expects Kingdom to give the division leader a run for his money.
“He’s actually got to the point now that he wants to leave a little bit more off the wings. Racing against the American horses I spun him a little bit off the wings to see how he was and he raced extremely well for me,” says the veteran horseman. “He’s been trotting in 1:57, 1:58, so we’re very pleased with him and hopefully we’ll put together a pretty good race on Thursday night.”
While the top two point earners battle in the first Elimination, the reigning Gold Final winner Gerry Lavec will be looking for his fourth win of the season from Post 5 in Race 4. The Mr Lavec son, trained by Benoit Baillargeon for C. and I. Siegel Racing Stable Ltd. of Brooklyn, NY, scored a win in the Sept. 2 Champlain Stakes and finished fourth in his Campbellville division on Sept. 9 before making a late break in the Campbellville Consolation on Sept. 16.
Among the colts hoping to challenge Gerry Lavec in the second elimination is Armbro Acme, owned Gilles and Hughette Caouette’s Adventure Acres Limited of Campbellville. The Balanced Image son delivered a pair of strong performances in the Campbellville Stakes, finishing third in his elimination and fifth in the final and Gilles Caouette hopes the trotter can maintain the momentum he has gained since capturing a Grassroots wild card event on Sept. 2.
“Last year was the first year I started with trotters. I find it really hard on my nerves,” says the 27 year veteran of Standardbred ownership with a chuckle. “But it looks like he is doing better now, coming into his own.”
Armbro Acme and regular driver Tom Strauss will start from Post 2 on Thursday night and the duo will be looking for a solid effort to cement their position in the Top 10. With one second, one fourth and one fifth in Gold Series action the Michel Rivest trainee currently occupies the tenth spot in the point standings.
Mohawk Racetrack’s first race goes postward at 7:40 pm Thursday and the two-year-old trotting colts will resume their rivalry in Races 2 and 4, with the top five finishers from each elimination returning to the Campbellville oval on Oct. 3 for their $130,000 Gold Final.