REXDALE, ON — Independent Woman puts her three race winning streak on the line in one of three Ontario Sires Stakes Gold eliminations at Woodbine Racetrack this Monday night (July 29).
The two-year-old daughter of Royal Strength, who is trained by three-time Johnston Cup winner Ross Henry, has already crafted an impressive resume. Purchased by the Henry Stable of Arthur, ON for $40,000 at last fall’s Canadian Classic Sale, Independent Woman has already banked $91,765. She swept the initial Gold Series event of the year for the rookie trotting fillies at Flamboro Downs, winning her elimination in 2:04.1 then coming back to take the $130,000 Gold Final in 2:00.1. That clocking equalled the all-time OSS half-mile track record for two-year-old fillies set by the great Sharise Seelster at Flamboro in 2000.
Independent Woman notched her third victory in the July 20 Trillium Series at Hanover Raceway in 2:03.2. Wayne Henry has driven her in all her starts. She leaves from post 2 in the third Gold elimination which is race 4 on the July 29 card.
The only blot on Independent Woman’s record is a loss in her first lifetime start in the June 29 Trillium Series at Sudbury Downs. That race was won by Sephora and the homebred King Conch filly gets another shot at Independent Woman at Woodbine, although she has drawn the unenviable post position nine for owner Dr. Frederick Albert of Prescott, ON. Sephora also finished second by a length to Independent Woman in the Trillium Series at Hanover last week. She is trained and driven by Jason Gilchrist.
Mikestory is another filly who has achieved significant early-season success. A daughter of Breeders Crown winner Eager Seelster, Mikestory is 2-2-0 in four lifetime starts for veteran owner-trainer-driver Bill Megens of Troy, ON. She won a Gold elimination at Flamboro and a Trillium division at Hanover and to date has earned $62,220.
Mikestory leaves from post position seven in the first division (race 1) and lines up beside another Gold elimination winner, Jar Jar Binx, who has post 8. Trained by Wayne Bloomfield for owner-breeder Karen Carroll of Shedden, ON the Brisco Hanover filly won her Gold elimination at Flamboro in 2:03.1 but made an early miscue in the Final and was never a factor.
Lukes Viviane, from the powerful Carl Jamieson stable, has post 7 in the second Gold elimination (race 2). A daughter of King Conch and the 13th foal of her Speedy Scot dam Tupelo, Lukes Viviane won her July 4 OSS Grass Roots outing at Sarnia’s Hiawatha Horse Park in 2:03.4 then dead-heated for the win in a Trillium division at Hanover. A sister to such talented trotters as Lukes Goosie ($260,059), Lukes Merle ($171,548) and Lukes Samuel ($126,974), Lukes Viviane has earned $23,755 for Jamieson and his partners Gerald Ross of Downsview, ON and Bill Knights of Blenheim. She was a $32,000 yearling purchase at The Canadian Classic.
The $130,000 Gold Final for the two-year-old filly trotters is slated for Woodbine on Civic Holiday Monday, Aug. 5.