ELMIRA — Ontario’s top three-year-old pacing fillies made their Gold Series debut in the pouring rain at Elmira Raceway on Friday evening. The deluge was enough to cause Elmira racing officials to rate the half-mile oval three seconds slower than normal and may have been a factor in the winning efforts by a pair of lightly rated fillies.
In the first division four of the eight starters made breaks behind the starting gate or heading into the first turn, including fan favourite Rustleyourfeathers and last year’s Ontario Sires Stakes star Northern Harmony. The breaks knocked all four fillies out of contention and left the door wide open for a longshot to scoop up the winner’s share of the $59,844 purse.
Firing off the starting gate from Post 3 Thelma and driver Dave Boughton took full advantage of the early confusion and were on top by six lengths at the :29.1 first quarter. The pair continued to lead through the 1:01.2 half and 1:31.1 three-quarters, but the heavy going got the better of the Pat Hunt trainee heading into the stretch and she yielded first to Rhiannon O Rhye and then to Putnam Kelly and Leggs To Heaven.
After being interfered with in the melee at the start Rhiannon O Rhye was more than 10 lengths off the pace heading into the first turn, but the Gypsys Hellion filly and driver Jody Jamieson gained ground with every step and were two and a quarter lengths on top at the 2:01 finish. Leggs To Heaven moved from fourth to second down the stretch and Putnam Kelly was four lengths back in third, while Thelma hung on for the final spot in the May 30 Gold Final.
Stephen Gillard of Tavistock bred, owns and trains Rhiannon O Rhye, who boosted her 2003 record to two wins and one second with the victory. The filly earned $33,538 in the Ontario Sires Stakes program as a two-year-old, competing in both the Gold and Grassroots Series’.
The second elimination got off to a more orderly start, but still featured a surprise ending as Dave Boughton took another run at the front-end with Lucky Irma and the filly prevailed in a half length, 1:57.3 decision over heavy favourite Ascending.
Leaving from Post 2 Lucky Irma logged impressive fractions of :28.4, :58.2 and 1:27.4 over the rain-soaked surface before fending off Ascending down the stretch. Shami Cami was four and three-quarter lengths back in third while Wendys Rocket earned her way into the $130,000 Gold Final with a fourth-place finish.
William MacTavish trains Lucky Irma for owner-breeder John Christensen of Scarborough and the Camluck lass bumped her sophomore record to two wins in three starts with the gritty performance. A winner of $35,444 in the OSS last season, Lucky Irma boasted a solid Grassroots record of two wins, including a Grassroots Semifinal, one second and one third in six outings as a freshman.
After spending the next week crossing their fingers for fair weather, the top four finishers from each elimination will return to Elmira Raceway on Friday, May 30 for the first $130,000 Gold Final of their three-year-old season, rested and ready to take on Sires Stake graduate Inconceivable’s 1:55.4 speed record.