FLAMBORO, ON — Training young trotters requires skill, patience and the ability to absorb surprises, as Carl Jamieson’s trio of two-year-old fillies demonstrated at Flamboro Downs last weekend. The filly Jamieson most expected to see in this Saturday’s $130,000 Gold Final finished out of the money, and the one he expected the least from won her elimination by six lengths.

“The one I liked the best didn’t make the Final,” admits the Princeton resident. “And the other mare was really no good all winter. She just got good in the last six weeks. I put the trotting hopples on her and it turned her right around.”

Trotting hopple wearer Duchess Of York was the surprise winner for Jamieson, while Disco Inferno finished a disappointing sixth in the slowest of the three eliminations. J M Aggie rounded out the Jamieson trio with a runner-up finish, getting caught at the wire after carving all the fractions in a 2:01.4 mile.

Jody Jamieson qualified both fillies for Saturday’s Gold Final and will pilot J M Aggie from Post 9 in the $130,000 test. The Dundas resident shares ownership on J M Aggie with his father, but admits that he would not be clamouring to drive Duchess Of York even if he was not part of the other filly’s ownership group.

“I hated Duchess Of York all winter, hated her. I actually told my dad I wouldn’t drive her any more,” says the young reinsman, who helped his father out with the two-year-old training routine every Saturday. “I could never get her to trot. He started going with her and she hasn’t made a break since so I figure they were a perfect match.

“When I first sat behind her in the qualifier I was a little nervous,” he adds. “But Dad got her over all her bad habits and she’s easy to drive now.”

In the elimination Jody sent Duchess Of York after the lead just past the :30.3 opening quarter and then controlled the pace through a 1:01 half and 1:31.4 three-quarters. The filly, owned by Carl Jamieson, Thomas Kyron of Etobicoke, Edward Smith of Rockwood and Brain Paquet of Quebec, QC, hit the wire six lengths ahead of the competition in 2:02.3.

“She’s a pretty handy trotter. It looks like she’ll be all right,” speculates Carl, who says he will likely steer the filly from Post 4 on Saturday. “Once I put the trotting hopples on her she got confidence in herself and she’s never made a break since.”

While Duchess Of York frustrated Jody beyond tolerance, he says J M Aggie jumped to the head of the class as soon as she arrived in the Jamieson barn this spring.

“When we first got her she vaulted right to the top of our training list,” says Jody. “She’s been a good investment so far.”

Jody and his father acquired the filly from Hagersville resident Chris Hill in late May and both men have been pleased with her progress over the last two months.

“I like her a lot, she’s a nice big, strong filly. I think she’ll get better as she goes along,” says Carl. “She went a big trip the other night and just got beat at the wire.”

The daughter of Angus Hall and Chelemark Julie carved sharp early fractions of :29.2, 1:01 and 1:31.1 before yielding to Wayne Henry and Tymal Timeout. J M Aggie finished just three quarters of a length behind the leader, and seven lengths ahead of the rest of the field, in the 2:01.4 mile.

Like Jamieson, Wayne Henry will harness two fillies in Saturday’s $130,000 Gold Final. The Arthur resident will send out Windsong Darling from Post 3 and Tymal Timeout from Post 6 in the ninth race on Flamboro Downs’s Saturday afternoon program, which gets under way at 4 pm.

For complete entries please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/entries/data/eflmdsa.html#N9