CAMPBELLVILLE, ON — Ja El Express added a Gold Final trophy to his collection at Mohawk Racetrack on Thursday night, capturing his third straight win and budging trainer Jeff Gillis’s excitement level a little higher than the cautious label he assigned it at the start of the Gold Series.

After using a front end strategy in his first victory, the Bud Light Stakes at Flamboro Downs on July 4, and a come-from-behind effort in last week’s Gold Elimination win, driver Jody Jamieson combined the two to triumph in Thursday’s $130,000 two-year-old trotting colt Gold Final.

Sombrero Hall won the early foot race, clocking a :29.1 opening quarter, but Ja El Express was already on the move and had taken control of the pace before the :59 half. However, driver Paul MacDonell decided not to sit in the pocket behind Ja El Express, and sent his colt back after the lead before the 1:27.3 three-quarters.

Turning for home Sombrero Hall had a narrow lead over Magic Fruit, Ja El Express and War King Ton, and Mohawk fans were treated to an outstanding stretch drive from the young trotters as they battled four-wide to the finish.

Ja El Express stuck a head in front of Magic Fruit, with War King Ton three-quarters of a length back in third and Sombrero Hall one length back in fourth in the 1:58.1 mile. Fan favourite and elimination winner Quantum Starship made an early break that knocked him right of contention, more than 20 lengths behind the field.

Guelph resident Gillis shares ownership on Ja El Express with Ken Henwood of Mississauga. The partners acquired the son of Kadabra and Keystone Bluejay following an impressive qualifier at Mohawk on June 22, where the colt and former trainer Fred Jamieson rocked around the seven-eighths mile oval to a 10 length victory in 2:01, trotting home in :27.3.

Racing out of Fred Jamieson’s barn in the Bud Light Stake, the colt cruised along on the front end to a 2:04 victory, then made the move to Gillis’s stable. Heading into last week’s elimination round, where Ja El Express was a 1:59.1 winner, Gillis felt he was still getting to know the young trotter and said he and Henwood were cautiously optimistic that their Ontario Sires Stakes investment would pay off.

With $104,575 earned through his first three starts, Ja El Express has emerged as the early favourite in the two-year-old trotting colt division and allowed his owners to upgrade their optimism level beyond cautious.

Jamieson and Ja El Express will return to Flamboro Downs to begin defence of their Gold Final title on Aug. 9. The provincial program returns to Mohawk on Friday, July 31 when the three-year-old trotting fillies arrive at the Campbellville oval for Gold Elimination action.

For complete results please go to: http://standardbredcanada.ca/racing/results/data/r0723mohsn.dat.