DUNDAS, ON — Flamboro Downs plays host to one of the last regular season Gold events this Saturday, rolling out the red carpet for 13 freshman trotting colts in a pair of Gold Series Eliminations.
Competition will be fierce between the youngsters hovering just below the current cut off for a berth in the season ending Super Final and those scrabbling to maintain their spot in the top 10. One of the colt’s hoping to bolster his position is reigning Gold Final champion Hawaiian Clipper.
The Balanced Image son made his Gold Series debut in the Sept. 26 Gold Elimination at Mohawk Racetrack where he finished fifth. Seven days later the Blair Burgess trainee stunned his peers and the fans by capturing the $130,000 Gold Final in a sharp 1:57.4. The win landed Hawaiian Clipper in tenth spot in the division standings and he will be trying to add a few more points to his tally from Post 1 in the fifth race on Saturday.
“This horse has been a very pleasant surprise,” says part owner Bob Burgess. “He really hasn’t gone a bad race yet. A few starts before the Gold Final his blood was off, he was obviously going through some viral struggle, but Blair wasn’t at all surprised that he won that race.”
The Campbellville resident shares ownership on Hawaiian Clipper with his daughter-in-law Karin Olsson Burgess and Marsha Cohen of Asbury, NJ. The trio purchased the colt for $25,000 (US) at last fall’s Kentucky Standardbred Yearling Sale and in just eight starts they have already recouped three times their initial investment. From two wins, one second and one third Hawaiian Clipper has earned $84,419.
Burgess and Olsson Burgess also own the colt’s full-brother Electoral College, whose steady progress as a two-year-old was what drew them to Hawaiian Clipper. Somewhat to their surprise Electoral College has sat on the sidelines this year while his younger brother stole the show.
“This one is much better than the three-year-old (Electorial College). We’ve had all kinds of trouble bringing the three-year-old back, but this one has been very easy all along,” says Burgess. “Hawaiian Clipper is a good colt, or at least he has been to date.”
After his Gold Final triumph on Oct. 3 Hawaiian Clipper took on the best in North America in the Breeders’ Crown Eliminations, but failed to advance to the Final by just half a length.
“He was sitting third and tried to improve his position on the turn,” recalls the long time Standardbred owner. “We missed qualifying by about two inches, so it was a disaster. But, we’ve had a pretty good year so…”
Burgess’s year has been anchored by $3.23 million winner Real Desire who was recently retired to stud duty at Brittany Farms in Versailles, KY. Blair Burgess trained the superstar son of Life Sign throughout his stellar career for Burgess, Olsson Burgess, Brittany Farms and Peretti Farms Inc. of Cream Ridge, NJ.
“For us, we’ve had the great high with Real Desire, now it’s just back to the nuts and bolts with the other horses,” Burgess says reflectively.
If he can continue to shine in Gold Series competition through the next three weeks Hawaiian Clipper could provide the Burgess family with another highlight for their 2002 memory books.
The first hurdle to the fairy tale ending to Hawaiian Clipper’s season is division leader Meadowview Sunny, who will make a bid for a third Gold Series victory from Post 6. The Classic Adam son and driver Doug Brown have fashioned an outstanding season for trainer Paul Shakes of Stayner and owner Charles Reid of Orono, capturing five wins, two seconds and one third in eight starts for earnings of $244,811.
In the second Elimination Kingdom, the number two colt in the division standings, will attempt to redeem himself after making a costly break in the Oct. 3 Gold Final that took him out of the picture in the opening quarter. Trainer Rick Zeron of Oakville, who shares ownership on the King Conch son with The Camel Club Stable of Hamilton and Gestion Charest Ltee. of Montreal, QC, will pilot the colt from Post 3 in the ninth race.
Racing gets under way at 3 pm on Saturday at Flamboro Downs and the two-year-old trotting colts will battle it out in the fifth and ninth races on the mid-afternoon program. The top four finishers from each Elimination will return to the Dundas half-mile on Nov. 2 for their last $130,000 Gold Final.