ELMIRA, ON — Ross Henry will send out a trio of elimination winners in the $130,000 Gold Final on Elmira Raceway’s Industry Day program Monday, but the Arthur resident will have to wait for a phone call to find out where the two-year-old trotting fillies finish.

“I won’t even be there,” says the veteran horseman. “I’ve got to go to Dresden.”

Sons Trevor and Wayne Henry piloted fillies Chelemark Spring, Lemehavit and Fiesty Kindof Luv to their elimination victories, and will be in charge of the talented trio on Monday as Ross heads to Dresden Raceway with four two-year-old trotting colts competing in Grassroots action. Henry will rely on the driving skills of long time employee Peter Hamilton at Dresden and is leaving it up to Trevor and Wayne to decide which fillies they will drive in the Gold Final and which one will be left for a catch driver.

“They’ll figure something out. I expect Wayne will likely drive Lemehavit and Trevor will drive the little filly (Fiesty Kindof Luv) and I don’t know who will drive (Chelemark) Spring,” he says. “I have an idea, but I like to give them a choice too.”

Of the three Henry Stable starters, Chelemark Spring drew the most advantageous starting position. The Super Pleasure daughter will start from Post 3, which may set her up for a front-end performance like the one she delivered in the elimination round when she bested heavy favourite Sno Doubt About It with a gate-to-wire score in 2:05.2.

“She’s an easy mare to get along with, so we’ll see,” says Henry, who shares ownership on the $8,000 yearling purchase with his sons. “She’s come along pretty good.”

While Chelemark Spring drew the best post, Lemehavit landed the worst and will start from the outside Post 7, which may present some challenges for whichever driver lands in her race bike.

“She’s turned out pretty hot. She’s a little hard to handle,” he says. “She doesn’t seem to make breaks, at least she hasn’t yet anyway, but I don’t think he can take her off the gate that much.”

The Henry’s and partners Daniel McCann of Parkhill and Wally Yantz of Bloomingdale acquired Lemehavit for $35,000 at last fall’s Forest City Yearling Sale. With last week’s 2:03 win, the fastest of the four eliminations, the filly has already earned $21,150 in three starts and could push the partners well into the black with a solid outing Monday afternoon.

The final entry from the Henry barn, and her trainer’s admitted favourite, is Fiesty Kindof Luv, who will start from the trailing Post 8.

A homebred out of Henry’s mare Trieva May Luv It and his stallion Fiesty G G, Fiesty Kindof Luv started her Ontario Sires Stakes season with a win in the Grassroots Series before moving up to capture last week’s Gold Elimination in 2:03.3.

“I bred the mare to my own stud and they laughed, but it seems to have proved out all right,” says Henry. “She’s the best one we’ve had out of the mare. She can kind of come-from-behind, and she finishes good.”

The other elimination winner, Zorgwijk Emani, will start from Post 4 in the eighth race on the 1 pm matinee. The trotting fillies will warm up the crowd for the highly anticipated $200,000 Battle of Waterloo, which goes postward as Race 12.

Monday will be the last time Elmira Raceway will host its popular Industry Day program, the Battle of Waterloo or an Ontario Sires Stakes event. After the 2003 live racing season is completed on Sept. 1, staff will spend the next month winding up operations at the Woolwich Township site while finishing touches are completed at the new Grand River Raceway in Elora. The simulcasting and slot facility at the Grand River Raceway site are scheduled to open in mid-November and the new track will open its first season of exciting harness racing in April, 2004.