GLOUCESTER, ON — Ontario’s gifted two-year-old pacing fillies make their final Gold Series start this Thursday at Rideau Carleton Raceway, and trainer James Wellwood is hoping that Quail Seelster has an opportunity to shine on her owner’s hometown oval.

“She hasn’t had a lot of racing luck, she’s always weaving in and out between horses, or caught in, or drawing the outside in the final,” says Wellwood, who trains the filly for William MacQuarrie’s 1187422 Ontario Inc., of Gloucester. “She hasn’t had that picture perfect trip where she could get out in the lane and get a chance to perform.”

In spite of her bad luck, Quail Seelster has delivered some solid performances against the Gold fillies since making her debut at in the July 5 season opener at Grand River Raceway. Fifth in her first crack at the Ontario Sires Stakes program, the daughter of Camluck and Queen From Omaha came back to finish second in a July 17 Gold Elimination at Mohawk Racetrack and seventh in the Final one week later.

At Windsor Raceway Quail Seelster was second in her July 30 elimination and fifth in the Aug. 6 final. After a month long hiatus she warmed up with an off the board finish in a Sept. 7 overnight at Mohawk Racetrack, then finished sixth in the Sept. 15 Gold Elimination at Mohawk. Last Friday she delivered an impressive effort on an off track to claim third-place honours in the $130,000 Gold Final.

“She’s just been a sweetheart all along, but she’s like a Rodney Dangerfield, she gets no respect,” quips Wellwood. “Even in the race call on Friday they said, �It’s Luck Of Michelle and Canadette, and Quail Seelster tagging along.’

“It’s a good thing she wears ear plugs or she’d have been offended,” he adds with a chuckle. “She’s maybe not as gifted as some of the others, but she tries.”

Quail Seelster will try and rustle up some respect from Post 7 in Thursday’s $101,481 Gold Elimination and Wellwood is confident that, if things work in her favour, the winner of $46,115 will be in on the action at the wire.

“She likes to finish her miles,” he explains. “If she gets a second over trip, it doesn’t matter who is in front of her, she’ll give them a real tussle.”

The Ancaster resident will also harness 1187411 Ontario Inc.’s I Don’t Mean Maybe in Thursday’s eighth race, but his expectations of the Mach Three daughter are significantly lower.

“She’s as green as grass,” he notes. “She’s got lots of ability, but whether she holds it all together remains to be seen. I think she’ll get there eventually, but it’s a tough way to learn when you have to go up against that Luck Of Michelle.”

I Don’t Mean Maybe will make her second Gold Series start from Post 4 and Wellwood is hoping this outing is more successful than her Sept. 15 Gold Series debut, which saw her make a break just past the three-quarter pole and finish at the back of the 11 filly field.

“She gets going so fast she doesn’t seem to be able to handle the speed yet,” he speculates. “And I recognize that she is a couple months behind the other ones.”

In her first start, on Sept. 7 at Mohawk, I Don’t Mean Maybe finished fourth in a 1:55.2 mile and clocked a smart :27.3 final quarter, so Wellwood knows the raw talent is present if the fractious youngster can put all the pieces together on race day.

As long as both fillies mind their manners they will get a second opportunity to tour the Rideau Carleton oval on Oct. 5. With only nine entrants in Thursday’s elimination, all of the fillies will earn a ticket into the last Gold Final of the season.

Post time at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Thursday, Sept. 28 is 6:30 pm, with division leader Luck Of Michelle and her two-year-old pacing filly peers slated for battle in the eighth race.

For complete entries please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/entries/data/eridcfth.html#N8